florida
FEATURE 41
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fter several years in the doldrums, things are looking up once again for the UK’s long- time ahead-of-the-pack US destination. Tour operators are enjoying increased sales and airlines are boosting fl ights to Orlando and Tampa, while budget carrier Norwegian starts new fl ights to Orlando and Fort Lauderdale from Gatwick in July. The arrival of the Diagon Alley themed area in Universal Orlando Resort’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter this summer, following the late March opening of Universal’s 1,800-room Cabana Bay Beach Resort along with ongoing expansion of the Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland at Walt Disney World and other key attractions, is giving holidaymakers plenty of reasons to return to theme park capital Orlando this year. Meanwhile, new hotels and tourism product on both Florida coasts are also helping attract visitors for beach and twin-centre stays. Almost 90% of UK holidaymakers have been before. “Our business is very much repeat visitors,” said Colin Brodie, Visit Florida’s UK, Ireland and Scandinavia director. “Florida is always reinventing itself and that’s a reason to keep going back.”
The state enjoyed a record year for tourism overall in 2013, with 94.7 million visitors representing a 3.5% increase over 2012.
A detailed breakdown showing individual markets is not yet available but Brodie said he expected UK numbers to be up slightly compared with the 1.5 million visitors recorded in 2012 – with 2014 likely to show a further improvement thanks to its current value-for-money based on a healthier exchange rate. A proposal by Florida Governor, Rick Scott, to boost Visit Florida’s budget by over 50% to $100 million is due to be voted on by the state’s legislature in early May, and Brodie said if it was approved he hoped it would allow Florida to increase its UK advertising and promotions to augment co-op efforts currently undertaken with Brand USA and industry partners. Florida is one of the top-selling destinations for Barrhead Travel, according to Business Development Manager Caroline Donaldson. Central Florida, with its theme parks, remains a huge draw for families but the beaches and South Florida are also becoming more popular with both families and couples. “Florida has had a great start for Barrhead
this year, predominantly for Orlando,” she said. “However, our Miami business with cruises has been good, as has our fl y-drive business. “The most popular option is still Orlando single
centres for the family market followed by add- on beach stays. Beach-only stays are defi nitely becoming more popular. Florida and Caribbean/ New York twin-centres have also proved popular and Caribbean cruising from Port Canaveral and Miami remains strong, given the value of cruising.”
Above: Underwater adventure
www.sellinglonghaul.com
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CHILD’S PLAY
The master of reinvention, Florida has lined up an impressive range of new attractions in 2014 to keep UK tourists returning time and time again, says Peter Ellegard
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