Universal Epic Universe will bring first-time Orlando visitors, says EMEA sales chief

Universal Epic Universe is being viewed as a way to bring first-time visitors to Universal Orlando Resort, with agents encouraged to speak to clients who traditionally have not considered the destination.

Alison Montague, vice-president of international sales and marketing EMEA for Universal Destinations & Experiences, said the new theme park, which opens next month, would provide a range of strong selling points for agents.

“It’s the first major park opening this century, so there’s an excitement and a buzz for people who are Florida fans, but then, for me, the excitement is going beyond that to those people for whom Orlando and Florida is not front of mind,” she said.

The last land-based park to open at Universal Orlando Resort was Islands of Adventure in 1999, while waterpark Volcano Bay was unveiled in 2017. Universal Studios Florida opened in 1990.

Video: Universal Epic Universe media preview offers first look at new Orlando theme park

Montague said an “intense training programme” had been rolled out in advance of Universal Epic Universe opening on May 22, with five fam trips having already taken place and a further three scheduled before the opening. More trips will be hosted from September.

Record numbers of registrations have been logged on the online training platform, Montague added, in recognition of the “major news” of a new park.

“It almost doubles the size of the destination,” she said, going on to underline the opportunity presented to the trade.

“I think it gives our trade partners a reason to have a conversation with their clients, because even those people who think they know us, there’s so much more to talk about and [there’s a task of] understanding what they’re looking for in a holiday and then matching up what we have to offer here,” she said.

“Obviously there’s something very enticing about things that are new. We know holidaymakers flock to new hotels, new attractions and new destinations and that’s a nice selling point for our trade partners.”

In addition to the anticipated growth in visitor numbers from the UK, Montague said she also expected people would spend more time at Universal Orlando Resort.

“It’s about changing the approach to the holiday and the planning process,” she said.

“We’ll see our share changing because you’re going to need more days here, for sure, so we would anticipate we would see people staying more frequently on site and spending more of their traditional holiday time based at Universal Orlando Resort.”