Universal hails 2026 Orlando sales despite US headwinds

Sales chiefs at Universal have hailed forward trading from the UK and tipped the recent release of an all-park Orlando ticket option including Epic Universe to further extend average length of stay.

Alison Montague, Universal Destinations and Experiences EMEA vice-president for international sales and marketing, said average length of stay had extended by a night to around 10 days since the opening of Epic Universe in May.

She said she expected that to increase further as trade partners tapped into a 14-day ticket option which allows repeat visits to the company’s four Orlando parks.

The opening of Epic Universe saw the Orlando destination increase its hotel options from eight to 11, which senior vice-president of destination sales Eric Marshall described as “a really big deal for us”.

Speaking at World Travel Market in London, Montague said Universal was seeing a double-digit sales increase for Orlando in 2026, with the increase outstripping the added capacity. She also said momentum was building for 2027, with Orlando “less affected” by trading headwinds than other US destinations.

“We are coming in where we hoped to be but there is no doubt it has been hard work getting there and we are grateful for the efforts of our trade partners,” she said.

“I think some [customers] may have needed slightly longer to budget but our forward sales for 2026 show demand remains strong and we will be really pushing the all-park message while continuing to promote what is special about Epic Universe.”

Marshall said launch activity around the new park was “the best integrated promotion we have ever done”, adding “the response from the UK market has been incredibly strong”.

Montague said Universal was committed to maintaining its trade partnerships into 2026, with agents able to gain a 39% discount on the all-park ticket for up to four people after completing required training modules.

She added: “We are seeing additional capacity from the UK and other European markets coming onstream for 2026, so there is a big opportunity for the trade.”

Sales for Universal’s Hollywood park have been more challenging than for Orlando, Montague confirmed, but added: “Given the challenges facing the LA market it has done much better than we expected.”