2 min read April 2022 — Orlando’s strong fundamentals in the travel and tourism industry will help deliver a robust rebound for the region. Casandra Matej, president and CEO of Visit Orlando, spoke with Invest: and shared her insights on how the strengths of the area’s offerings in terms of quality of life, culinary scene and family activities will act as the basis for future growth.
What are some advantages for Orlando compared to other tourism destinations?
There are different market segments for any business and our No. 1 segment is the leisure domestic traveler. We also have the international traveler and the meetings and conventions market. The three combined make for a robust visitor economy, meaning that all three create the demand in a marketplace. The reality is that because we had been open throughout the pandemic when other destinations were fundamentally closed, we were able to glean a lot of key lessons over a year ago. When you look at the trusted brands that are represented in Central Florida, there are the theme parks — Disney, Universal, SeaWorld — and all the major hotel chains that have representation here. They are the most trusted brands in the world. From July 2020 and through the end of 2021, we will have hosted over 170 in-person conventions at the Orange County Convention Center alone.
Orlando is about a year ahead compared to the rest of the country when it comes to getting back to really enjoying a destination. We had a lot of the fundamental protocols in place a long time ago. We are a trusted destination; our campaign is The Wonder Remains. There are so many people across the United States who have been restricted to their homes for the last 18 months to two years. That large pent-up demand and desire to be in a destination where your imagination can come to life is unprecedented. That is what people are looking for. They want to connect and to build memories. That is what Orlando does best.
What has been the impact of the demographic and corporate influx into the area from
your standpoint?
We like to think that the travel and tourism sector helped create the quality of life that makes this community so special that people want to move here. When you think about the areas that you live in, you want things to do. You want an easy commute and you want a variety of job and career opportunities. You want to be somewhere you can be invested in and make a difference to the community. That is something that really embodies the story of Orlando. It is a great place to live, visit, work and play. We helped put the Central Florida, Orange County destination on the map for many things beyond the family vacation. We are highlighting all the reasons that you, by living here, can have that enhanced quality of life. I often say that the travel and tourism sector is part of the economic development cycle, because someone has either been somewhere for a business meeting, a convention or a leisure trip before they make a decision to relocate either themselves or their business. Travel and tourism, our industry sector, definitely plays a huge role regarding all those folks who are relocating to Central Florida.
How is your organization and the local tourism and hospitality sector tackling the labor shortage?
In the short term, we are working with organizations such as CareerSource to identify the needed positions and how we can fill them, whether it is temporary or long term. We are looking at the Disney model to offer free education for employees. We are sharing with our members what the trends are and what other industries are doing. A big part of what Visit Orlando needs to do, and we are working on this in the short term and long term, is reengaging the people who are coming into the labor pool. We want to share why this industry is so fun and the great career opportunities it provides.
What is your outlook for Visit Orlando and the local tourism and hospitality industry for the next two to four years?
It is going to be a step approach. If you talk to travel and tourism economists and look at what we are seeing in our market, our summer was extremely strong. The seat capacity at the Orlando International Airport was back to pre-pandemic levels. In terms of some of the metrics we look at, we saw a tremendously strong summer. Then the delta variant hit and we did see a bit of a dip, added to kids going back to school in mid-August. Usually, the meetings and conventions market makes up for the leisure group. In 2021, it was a lot lighter in that September to November time frame. Yet, we are really optimistic for 2022. From a domestic leisure standpoint, we will be at least at 95% visitation compared to pre-pandemic times. We know the international market will represent an estimated 65% to 70% of international visitation compared to pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2022. The meetings and convention market looks extremely strong for the first half of 2022. People are excited to get back to travel. We have an amazing offering in Orlando and the return to pre-pandemic times is just around the corner.
One of the things that is huge for us, especially internationally is we partnered with Miami, Tampa, Orlando and Visit Florida, and we are now going to be a Michelin Guide city. Our culinary arts in Central Florida, specifically Orlando, is a hidden gem, and there have been so many different, unique restaurants that have bubbled up over the last seven to 10 years that people do not know about, so being a Michelin Guide city will go a long way to changing that, which we are excited about.
For more information, visit:
