Experience Kissimmee aims to raise the destination’s profile in the UK following a sponsorship deal with the National Football League UK.
The official tourism authority for Osceola County, Florida, has become the official Travel Destination of the NFL in the UK.
The sponsorship will kick off with the NFL London Games, featuring Minnesota Vikings vs New Orleans Saints (October 2), New York Giants vs Green Bay Packers (October 9) and Denver Broncos vs Jacksonville Jaguars (October 30).
In 2021, the NFL London Games had more than seven million viewers, with 122,000 fans attending two sold-out games at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
More: Experience Kissimmee cuts West Ham ties over Zouma cat kicking
Kissimmee, trademarked as the Vacation Home Capital of the World, offers a wide range of outdoor activities and theme parks for tourists.
The deal with the NFL in the UK will offer Experience Kissimmee marketing opportunities inside Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Wembley Stadium, plus online digital assets.
DT Minich, president and chief executive of Experience Kissimmee, said: “The United Kingdom has been and continues to be our largest international market with more than 800,000 visitors to our destination in 2019.
“This opportunity will further our reach with our great visitors from the UK but will also enable us to connect with key markets across the United States.”
Experience Kissimmee also supports the NFL UK Flag Football program, a non-contact version of American Football that has been gaining popularity in the UK over the past five years.
John Poole, executive director of Kissimmee Sports Commission, added: “We believe this is a great opportunity to receive year-round exposure to a core target audience in the UK.
“The programme is now in more than 380 schools across 20-plus UK regions, and this will allow us to connect with multiple markets across the UK.”
This is Experience Kissimmee’s second major sports sponsorship in the UK. Previously the tourist board sponsored West Ham but that deal ended after footage emerged of defender Kurt Zouma kicking a cat.
Pictured at Tottenham’s stadium, from left: Henry Hodgson, NFL UK; DT Minich, Experience Kissimmee; and John Poole, Kissimmee Sports Commission.