Yesterday at a business luncheon at Loew’s Sapphire Falls Resort, Visit Orlando announced the city had welcomed 72 million visitors to Central Florida during 2017.
It’s a historic milestone in the travel industry as Orlando became the first U.S. destination to surpass 70 million annual visitors.
The results are in for this year’s Visit Orlando Magical Dining Month sponsored by American Express, and a record amount was raised for local charities.
From Aug. 25 to Oct. 12, guests enjoyed three-course, $35 dinners at a record 118 restaurants across Central Florida., and $1 from each meal was donated Freedom Ride Inc. and BASE Camp Children’s Foundation.
This year far exceeded expectations with a record $208,620 raised for the charities!
Earlier this fall, it was announced by Visit Orlando that they would begin a search for Orlando’s Signature Dish, a dessert featuring the key ingredient of honey.
At their year-end luncheon, Visit Orlando announced the final results of that search.
This week, Visit Orlando kicked off the search for Orlando’s Signature Dish by announcing the dish will include honey as a featured ingredient.
In 2016, Florida produced 17 million pounds of honey, and is one of the top producers in the country.
Visit Orlando’s Magical Dining Month, sponsored by American Express, returns Aug. 25 – Oct. 1 with an unprecedented number of restaurants, each offering a three-course, prix fixe dinner menu for just $35 per person.
Celebrating its 12th year, the popular dining promotion offers over 100 restaurants throughout the Orlando area for local foodies or visiting gourmands who are looking to try out a local favorite or one of the hottest new venues added to Orlando’s growing culinary scene.
This week, Visit Orlando celebrated National Travel and Tourism Week by announcing a record number of visitors to the city, and by setting a Guinness World Records™ title.
The organization, which promotes tourism in the Orlando area, announced a record 68 million travelers visited our area last year.
This week, Visit Orlando announced a new all-time record for visitors to the area for 2015 of 66.1 million people. This is a 5.5 percent increase from 2014’s numbers.
Visitation to Orlando has more than doubled over the past 20 years, growing from 32.4 million in 1995.
I recently attended the IPW travel conference here in Orlando, and at the kick-off media brunch, Visit Orlando announced a new marketing campaign called “Orlando – the Never Ending Story.”
Visit Orlando President and CEO George Aguel was joined in the presentation by (in photo from left to right): Adrian Jones, Divisional Director – LEGOLAND Florida Resort; Peter Kacheris, Managing Director at Waldorf Astoria Orlando & Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek; Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs; and Roger Dow, President & CEO U.S. Travel Association.
Visit Orlando, the destination’s official tourism association, has announced that more than 62 million people visited Orlando in 2014. The announcement marks a new all-time record for the U.S. travel industry, solidifying Orlando’s position as the most visited destination in the nation.
As a result, a record 32 million room nights were sold in Orlando in 2014, resulting in bed tax collections topping $200 million for the first time in Orange County, home to the Central Florida tourism district.
Returning for its ninth year, Visit Orlando’s Magical Dining Month will run the month of September, with a special preview week starting August 25, 2014.
New to Magical Dining Month are restaurants like Kasa Restaurant & Bar, Mingo’s, Bistro CloClo, and Eddie V’s. They join returning favorites like Emeril’s Orlando, Emeril’s Tchoup Chop, The Capital Grille, Siro: Urban Italian Kitchen, Funky Monkey Wine Company, and Maxine’s on Shine.
$1 from every meal served during Visit Orlando’s Magical Dining Month will benefit the Foundation for Foster Children, which supports local foster youth by providing intensive tutoring, typical childhood experiences and volunteer mentors who assist foster children transition into adulthood successfully.
Visit Orlando is also giving visitors a way to extend the savings even further with Magical Nights. More than 15 dine-and-stay packages pair dinner for two with a one-night hotel stay, starting from $149 per night including:
For a full list of participating restaurants and their Magical Dining Month menus, visit visitorlando.com/magicaldining/
Visit Orlando CEO Gary Sain passed away on Friday night after giving a speech at a fundraiser. He was 61 years old.
You may not be familiar with his name, but Swain headed up the Orlando tourism board and was the man behind the popular “Orlando Makes Me Smile” campaign.
According to officials, Sain was one of the driving forces behind making Orlando the No. 1 family destination in the world since he took over the Orlando Tourism Bureau in 2007, renaming it Visit Orlando to help attract even more tourists.
Our condolences go out to the Sain family.