| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 29/05/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 34 |
| Copyright: Other |
Florida overview: by Alan Moore
Discovery Cove: SeaWorld’s new marine park is set to be a major tourist attractionOrlando draws top sales from British tourists
OF THE annual 1.4m Britons heading to Florida on holiday, a staggering 1.2m spend some time in the Orlando area.Some 60% of these are repeat visitors and the average length of stay has steadily crept up to 10 nights over the last few years.
Last year, Orlando captured a 28.6% share of the ex-UK leisure market to the US and 79.5% of all British travellers to Florida.
They are impressive figures from the destination’s tourism bureau – particularly when Florida was predicted to see a dip in the market last summer – and underline the rapid growth of Orlando’s attractions.
But one of the most surprising statistics is the fact that 68% of the UK total to Orlando last year were adults travelling without children.
Orlando Tourism Bureau international representative Oonagh McCullagh said: “Obviously Orlando remains a top family destination for the British but more couples are travelling on their own. Some are going over to get married there and then spend their honeymoon in the area.”
McCullagh said that although most Britons visit the theme parks, there are now many other day and night-time attractions that are creating a more adult-based market. “These include SeaWorld’s new upmarket Discovery Cove marine park, new rides at Universal Studios and the vast array of night entertainment at both Downtown Disney and Universal’s CityWalk complexes,” she added.
“The downtown area of Orlando close to Church Street Station also has lots of new trendy bars offering live music featuring up-and-coming bands.
“These have become very popular with the locals but not that many UK tourists know about this district yet.”
This entertainment complements CityWalk’s new range of themed bars and restaurants, which includes the Latin Quarter that attracts regular live performances from local Cuban bands.
Shopping in Orlando is another key adult attraction.
McCullagh claimed Orlando also has the fastest-growing retail market in North America, with more than 39m sq ft of space devoted to vast designer-label shopping malls and factory outlets.
“Our main promotional push is the diversity of the whole of the Orlando product,” she added.
“We want to ensure travel agents are aware of this so that they can sell it very well to their clients.
“Agents can also make profitable commission on the many pre-bookable attractions.”
With more visitors using Orlando as their base from which to experience a Florida holiday, the bureau has teamed up with other central regions of the state to promote the variety of accessible destinations.
These include the nearby holiday playground of Kissimmee-St Cloud, Florida’s Space Coast, Daytona Beach, the state parks and nature reserves of Lake County, the outdoor activities of Polk County and historic Seminole County.
The seven areas have pulled together all their various attractions in the first joint regional brochure for the trade and consumer which was launched in theUK as part of Orlando’s Destination Imagination marketing campaign in March.
UK adult market increases
factfile
ORLANDO
n Copies of the Central Florida regional brochure can be obtained by fax on 0800092 23 51.
n For trade enquiries on Orlando, tel 0207 486 6464.
n Web site address is www.orlandoflusa.co.uk
n Orlando Tourism Bureau is supporting UK educationals this year with British Airways Holidays, the Visit Florida Superfam in June and others Travel 4 and Virgin Holidays.
n A series of UK regional training seminars on Orlando is planned for the remainder of the year, starting with an event in Manchester in June in conjunction with Delta. For more details, call the Orlando trade line.
n Orlando Florida – Destination Imagination is the name of Orlando’s latest marketing campaign in the UK. It focuses on its theme parks and other attractions, as well as outdoor recreation including activities such as golf, water sports, nature treks and other sports.
n Orlando offers more than 99,000 hotel rooms and 3,800 restaurants.
n There are more than 125 golf courses within a 45min drive of Orlando’s city centre.