Your Visit Orlando team is already off and running promoting Orlando as the top meetings destination in the country. This week, members of our sales, marketing and communications teams, along with our partners at the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC), attended PCMA Convening Leaders, the organization’s flagship education and networking event, in Houston, Texas. We showcased our destination to key clients, trade media and thousands of business events professionals in attendance.

During the four-day show, the team engaged with key clients and media across multiple touchpoints. This included hosting over 40 buyers at the Visit Orlando and OCCC Hosted Buyer Luncheon, followed by meetings with an additional 24 buyers during scheduled sessions. Throughout each day, we networked with current and prospective clients at our activation area in "The District" exhibit hall and, along with 12 Visit Orlando members, hosted more than 95 clients during an evening reception.

Our team engaged attendees with a social media contest designed to drive traffic to our activation area and facilitated media interviews with me, Mark Tester, executive director of the OCCC, and Lisa Messina, Visit Orlando’s chief sales officer, with Meetings TodaySmart Meetings and Travel Show News Network

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Orlando-based talent’s main stage cirque-style performance at PCMA.

Capping off the event in front of a packed house of thousands, we showcased just why Orlando is “Unbelievably Real” through a main stage cirque-style performance which featured a live vocalist, prop and LED cube spinners, an aerialist, and a slight-of-hand magician all produced and performed by Orlando-based talent. Afterwards, I joined Mark Tester sharing the latest destination news.

Attending PCMA Convening Leaders was an important opportunity to shine a spotlight on our destination. We’re looking forward to continuing the early momentum throughout 2025.

Data & Trends

Metro Orlando’s hotel occupancy rate for the week ending Jan. 11, 2025, was 69.1% which was down 2.7% from the same week last year. The average daily rate for the week was $188.41 which was down 10% from last year. Room night demand trailed prior year by 2.4%.

Across the Industry

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Elaine Blazys, Visit Orlando’s VP of travel industry sales, with Osceola County Commissioner Cheryl Grieb; Lee Hag-jae, President & CEO of Incheon International Airport; Kevin J. Thibault, CEO of GOAA; and City of Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and attendees.

Expanding Orlando's Global Presence to Asia

This week, Orlando made a significant step forward in the process to get direct air service between our destination and Asia. A participation agreement was signed to establish direct flights between South Korea’s Incheon Airport and Orlando International Airport (MCO), to foster international business development and grow connectivity. With global competition intensifying, it’s crucial for the Central Florida community to unite and prioritize air service development, especially in emerging markets like Asia. This strategic collaboration with Incheon International Airport, spearheaded by the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, Osceola County and a coalition of regional stakeholders, is exciting progress in long-term efforts to expand our global presence and ensure that Orlando tourism continues to drive substantial economic benefit.

Around the Destination

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Coro - Photo by Greg Perkins

Four Orlando Restaurants Added to The MICHELIN Guide

At Visit Orlando, we’ve long been committed to telling the story and further elevating our destination’s growing dining scene. Just announced this week, four new Orlando restaurants are added in the MICHELIN Guide, now making 52 total Orlando restaurants featured, including seven Stars, 11 Bib Gourmands and 34 Recommended, plus additional Michelin honors. These establishments are highlighted as “New” on guide.michelin.com to help food lovers enjoy new discoveries before the annual announcement of Bib Gourmands and Stars. Congratulations to:

  • Coro (contemporary) in Audubon Park 
  • Sorekara (Japanese) in Baldwin Park
  • UniGirl (Japanese) in Mills 50
  • Ômo by Jônt (contemporary) in Winter Park
Blue Man Group play with colors at one of their world-famous performances.
Blue Man Group

What's New in Orlando? 25+ Fresh Experiences Going Live in 2025

There’s much in store in Orlando in 2025, including epic new worlds, dazzling shows and culinary innovations making for another exciting year. AAA has even named Florida the No. 1 travel destination for 2025, noting Universal Orlando Resort’s new theme park Universal Epic Universe and its new experiences at Super Nintendo World, a Ministry of Magic expansion for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter among others. Additionally, the Blue Man Group will return with a new home at ICON Park, featuring the show’s signature mix of art, live music, comedy, and audience participation. With new themed dining, vibrant nightlife, major international sports and entertainment events and new luxury accommodations—Orlando continues to be the perfect stage for an ‘Unbelievably Real’ vacation in 2025.

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CANVAS Cultural Plan

Orange County Government and the City of Orlando are working together to develop CANVAS, a cultural plan to strengthen the arts and creative scene across the region. This blueprint will guide the growth of cultural vibrancy and increase access to the arts for everyone over the next 10 years. Please consider taking the brief CANVAS Community Survey. It is open for responses until Jan. 31, 2025. You can also make your voice heard by sharing your vision as a sentence, an image, poem or story in the CANVAS Virtual Board. Thank you in advance for taking action in strengthening our community’s arts and culture landscape.

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Sports, business and industry leaders connect at the FC Series reception, including Brian Comes, VP of field operations, Americas, Hyatt Hotels Corporation; Bakari F. Burns, City of Orlando commissioner, District 6; Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings; Danielle Hollander, chief marketing officer, Visit Orlando; Patrick Yvars, travel industry sales director, Visit Orlando; Wesley Costa, director of international marketing, Visit Orlando; and more.

Orlando: The Premiere Sports Destination – FC Series

Orlando welcomed the opening game of the Florida Cup Series on Jan. 15 at INTER&Co Stadium. The match featured top teams Cruzeiro and São Paulo FC, kicking off the tournament. More matches are scheduled at the stadium, including Atlético Mineiro vs. Cruzeiro on Jan. 18 and Orlando City SC vs. Atlético Mineiro on Jan. 25. A reception was also held to celebrate the Florida Cup Series games in Orlando. We look forward to the excitement these games bring, further strengthening Orlando’s reputation as a premier sports destination and positively impacting our economy.

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Attendees at the ZORA Outdoor Festival of Arts in Eatonville, FL.

ZORA! Outdoor Festival of the Arts in Eatonville

The 2025 ZORA! Festival Season has returned, with events in January throughout November, including an opening exhibition at the Hurston Museum, the annual three-day ZORA! Academic Conference and signature two-day ZORA! Outdoor Festival of the Arts. This year’s festival includes an education day (Jan. 31) inspiring young minds through STEM and arts programming, and a family day (Feb. 1,) with music, live performances, interactive art and a celebration of the cultural contributions people of African ancestry have made to the U.S. and world. The festival aims to inspire and connect people from all walks of life.
 
This year, there’s a new app debuting at the festival, Historifi—a black-owned tech startup with a mission to preserve history. By downloading Historifi, attendees can experience Eatonville’s rich history and culture in a new way:

  • A City & Event Virtual Map: Seamlessly navigate the festival and discover Eatonville’s landmarks.
  • Event Schedules on Your Phone: Keep track of all the exciting events happening throughout the festival.
  • AI Powered Augmented Reality Characters: Meet virtual guides who will lead you to historical sites, answer your festival questions, and provide insights about local resources.

Visit Orlando Engaged! 

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Collette Johnson, Visit Orlando’s national accounts director, with RCMA Emerge attendees.

Connecting with Industry Leaders at RCMA's EMERGE 2025

The Visit Orlando team, alongside our member hotels, recently attended the RCMA Emerge 2025 conference in Phoenix, Arizona. This event brought together key decision-makers in the religious conference and event planning sector, providing invaluable opportunities to network, share insights and promote Orlando as a top destination for faith-based gatherings. One of the highlights of the conference was our client dinner, where we hosted 25 customers. The event included a mix of citywide and in-house planners, providing the perfect setting to strengthen relationships and discuss current and future business opportunities.

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Denise Spiegel, Visit Orlando’s VP of Communications, with Visit Orlando and Orange County Convention Center representatives and Elon University School of Communications Fellows.

Sharing Insights to ELON University Students

Visit Orlando’s VP of Communications, Denise Spiegel, presented to nearly 50 Elon University School of Communications Fellows at the Orange County Convention Center. While informing the students about Visit Orlando’s role as a destination marketing organization and the communications team's role in promoting and career opportunities in the travel and tourism industry, she also shared a Visit Orlando case study that focused on elevating the perception of Orlando’s dining scene. Denise elaborated on how consistency, partnerships, media and influencers were all important factors to elevate our destination’s culinary community to global audiences.

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Visit Orlando team members meet with local industry professionals to share updates and plans for 2025.

Travel Industry Sales Committee: Discussing the Future of Orlando with Industry Partners

Visit Orlando’s travel industry sales team connected with industry leaders to discuss priorities and strategies for maximizing exposure to Orlando in key international markets. The meeting included hearing updates and initiatives from industry partners, such as Orlando International Airport, Rosen Hotels & Resorts, The Mall at Millenia, Universal Orlando Resort, Gatorland, SeaWorld Orlando, Sonesta ES Suites Orlando and Magic Village.

Our team shared insights into several planned 2025 initiatives, including attending top industry trade shows, like WTM LATAM and ANATO, to drive visitation to Orlando and promote the destination to key clients and media; expanding efforts in markets like Peru and Chile; and enhancing strategies to reach new audiences. These meetings allowed for collaboration across the tourism businesses to establish continuity amongst our efforts as we work together to promote and bring more travelers to our destination.

In the News

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