This week, I had the pleasure of attending Visit Orlando’s Brazil Sales Week in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. This strategic initiative strengthened our destination’s relationships with top-producing travel partners in one of our most vital international markets.

Brazil represents Orlando’s third-largest international market, welcoming nearly 700,000 visitors in 2024. Brazilian travelers stay longer, travel in larger groups and spend more per trip than any other international market, generating an estimated $1,523 per person per visit. In the first half of 2025 alone, top Brazilian tour operators generated more than 325,000 room nights, resulting in a $171 million in economic impact. 

During the week, your Visit Orlando team, in partnership with GoPegasus, met with leading tour operators, including CVC Corp, Agaxtur, Diversa Turismo and Easy Travel Shop, whose combined efforts directly support Orlando’s visitor economy. These partners extend Orlando’s reach by hosting training sessions, promoting the Orlando Travel Academy, and showcasing both theme parks and experiences beyond. Collectively, they remain instrumental in sustaining Orlando’s position as Brazil’s preferred U.S. destination.

Visit Orlando also partnered with Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, Copa Airlines and the Orlando Magic to host training events where more than 450 agents were trained. Ongoing education is essential to ensure Orlando remains top of mind for travel professionals who sell our destination globally.

Additional activities included media interviews with popular trade publications, like Panrotas, Mercado & Eventos and Brasilturis. We also hosted client networking events to highlight Orlando’s latest news and discuss future opportunities.

Brazil Sales Week highlights the importance of establishing and maintaining trusted partnerships in markets that fuel Orlando’s tourism growth. Despite challenges such as visa requirements and currency fluctuations, Brazil remains a high-potential market with a strong affinity for Orlando. Visit Orlando’s ongoing commitment ensures that Orlando remains a destination where Brazilian families feel welcome, connected and inspired to return.

Last Chance for Visit Orlando’s Magical Dining Presented By Orlando Health!

This is the last weekend to savor Visit Orlando’s Magical Dining, presented by Orlando Health, before it ends Sept. 30. There’s still time to enjoy a delicious three-course meal for just $40 or $60 at over 160 of Orlando's top restaurants, including 15 MICHELIN Guide-recognized spots and 24 new participants and special anniversary dishes.

Beyond exceptional dining, Magical Dining gives back to the community. For every meal purchased, $1 from each $40 menu and $2 from each $60 menu supports the REED Charitable Foundation, dedicated to advancing early childhood literacy. In addition, Visit Orlando is awarding $3,000 donations to nonprofits across Orange County’s six commission districts.

Don’t miss your chance to discover new favorites, enjoy special menus and support a worthy cause. Explore participating restaurants and make reservations at OrlandoMagicalDining.com.

Data & Trends

Weekly Hotel Metrics

Metro Orlando’s hotel occupancy rate for the week ending September 20, 2025, was 65.9%, down 4.7% from the same week last year. The average daily rate for the week was $187.34, down 0.8% from last year. Room night demand trailed last year by 3%.

Across the Industry

Brightline Celebrates Two Years of Service to Orlando

Brightline Trains celebrated its two-year anniversary of high-speed rail service connecting Orlando and South Florida! Since launching in 2023, Brightline has transformed travel by offering a convenient, stress-free alternative for both leisure and business travelers between Central and South Florida.

This service has created a valuable opportunity for international visitors who often fly into Miami and can easily extend their multi-city vacations to Orlando. These international guests are essential to Central Florida’s economy, as they tend to stay longer and spend more per person. That extended impact benefits our hotels, attractions, restaurants and the entire community. Congratulations to Brightline on this milestone and continued commitment to enhancing connectivity across Florida!

Cast Your Vote - Travel Weekly’s Readers Choice Finalist

Orlando has been named a finalist for Travel Weekly’s Readers Choice Awards. These awards are the pinnacle for the travel trade and recognize excellence in airlines, cruise lines, hotels, resorts, travel agencies and destinations. You can vote for Orlando by going to travelweekly.com/vote and selecting Orlando at No. 84. Destinations U.S. City category.

Around the Destination

Tourist Development Council Presentation

Today, Visit Orlando provided a quarterly update to Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings and members of the Tourist Development Council. We shared an update on travel performance through July, showing increases year-over-year in hotel demand (+1%), Average Daily Rate (+4%), Citywide attendance (+21%) and Tourist Development Tax (+7). In addition, our Chief Operating Officer Charles Harris outlined key strategies for Visit Orlando in 2026 for both sales and marketing efforts.

Visit Orlando Engaged!

REED Charitable Foundation Launches RCF Online Academy

REED Charitable Foundation, the lead charity beneficiary of this year’s Visit Orlando’s Magical Dining, presented by Orlando Health, has launched its flexible and cost-effective platform, RCF Online Academy. The platform is designed to deliver structured literacy training to educators — both virtually and in person, without disrupting classroom time. During a live demo event, participants received a hands-on look at the platform and heard early feedback from educators already benefiting from the system. This is just the beginning of RCF’s mission to make high-quality literacy training accessible to all.

Visit Orlando Welcomes Spanish Travel Agents

Visit Orlando partnered with Walt Disney World Resort to co-host a familiarization tour with Spanish airline Iberojet, welcoming 30 top-selling travel agents from Avoris and Viajes El Corte Ingles. The group experienced several of our destination’s diverse attractions, in addition to Disney Parks, including Chocolate Kingdom, Topgolf and ICON Park. Spain is a growing market for Orlando, boosted by Iberia’s new direct service from Madrid launching next month. This familiarization trip was key to strengthening the agents' knowledge of our destination, which will help drive future bookings.

Orange County Emergency Operations Center Visit

This week, Visit Orlando team members toured Orange County’s Emergency Operations Center and met with the Center’s key leadership, including Chief Lauraleigh Avery and Assistant Manager Carlos Durden. Visit Orlando works closely with the Orange County Emergency Management team and other community partners before, during and after a storm and throughout the year to be prepared should a crisis impact travel to our destination. Our team helps ensure that the accurate status of our destination is communicated to key audiences.

In addition, we closely monitor hotel occupancy in partnership with our member properties to provide status updates on availability for evacuees from coastal regions. Building relationships and having processes in place ahead of issues is critical to efficient operations and communications in times of need. We thank Orange County for hosting us and the ongoing partnership!

In the News

Panrotas (Brazil): Visit Orlando CEO Casandra Matej visits CVC and Aviareps on her first trip to Brazil

Travel In 10 Podcast (Canada): Orlando beyond the theme parks

Meetings Today: Evermore Orlando Resort Names Elizabeth Mullins New President