L.A. Tourism Goes Big While Orlando Shrinks

Orlando, Florida, is a place where dreams come to life. Known for its world-famous theme parks like Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, and the eagerly anticipated Epic Universe theme park set to open in 2025, it's a wonderland for families worldwide. But nestled among these giants is a new marvel that's redefining the very essence of a child's vacation fantasy: the Villatel Orlando Resort.

More than 10,000 rooms will surround the lagoon powered by Crystal Lagoons® technology, recently inaugurated in the United States. It is located just steps from Disney World and Universal Studios in the heart of Orlando, the most visited destination in the US, with 75 million tourists annually. This city offers a wide range of entertainment options but lacks a beach, an issue remedied in this great development with a crystalline lagoon of the multinational innovation company founded by the scientist Fernando Fischmann. The lagoon forms part of the Evermore Orlando Resort, one of the largest tourism projects in Florida. The large 8-acre body of water with extensive beaches breaks the hotel paradigm by providing truly superior standards and consolidates the presence of Crystal Lagoons in the hospitality and entertainment industry.

Dubai saw 17 million visitors in 2023, the emirate’s best-ever year for tourism and the first year ahead of pre-pandemic numbers. The news was shared in a brief tweet by the city’s crown prince, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed.

Geotourist and the West Africa Tourism Organisation (WATO) are partnering in a revolutionary data initiative to generate visitor data insights that are not currently achievable in the region. The initiative will be rolled out across 19 different countries,including:

There’s a lot of attractions competing for the attention of little ones in Orlando—from Walt Disney World to Universal Orlando—but Villatel Orlando Resort has created something that will make kids and adults alike want to spend all their time in the hotel room.

Startup BermudAir is adding two new U.S. dots to its map. The airline has unveiled new flights between its namesake island and Baltimore and Orlando starting in March.

Plans are in full force for the highly anticipated second staging of the Global Tourism Resilience Conference in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Taking place over a two-day period, the Global Tourism Resilience Conference will include panel discussions, networking opportunities, presentations and lively debates on matters of building resilience in tourism. This group of experts in their collective fields will gather to collaboratively discuss issues that are central to future-proofing travel and tourism to various disruptions moving forward. Global tourism resilience will once again take centre stage with key experts on building resilience in the industry. As tourism destinations continue to recover, it is critical that   tenacity is a focus of planning and development to future proof the industry from any potential shock,” said Founder of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC) and Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett.

On March 23rd, LEGOLAND® Billund will open its gates for a new season and invite guests to experience a new addition under license by leading toy and game company Hasbro - the LEGO® DUPLO® PEPPA PIG™ Playground. The playground spans 1.500 square meters and will be the world’s first area offering the delightfully unexpected combination of LEGO DUPLO and PEPPA PIG, in connection with the two brands collaborating on a new LEGO DUPLO series set to hit stores this year. “We are happy and proud to be the first place in the world where you can experience the combination of LEGO DUPLO and PEPPA PIG come to life. PEPPA PIG is one of the most well-known brands for little ones, and we expect it to be very well received by both our Danish and international guests,” says Christian Woller, Managing Director at LEGOLAND.

UN Tourism has opened applications for the 2024 edition of its Best Tourism Villages initiative. Over the past three editions, UN Tourism – the new name of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) - received almost 600 applications from nearly 100 countries.

Frontier Airlines announced a slew of new routes this week that will see the ultra-low-cost carrier expand its footprint at more than three dozen airports – dramatically scaling up its presence at a handful of those.

Los Angeles Tourism is launching its most expensive and far-reaching advertising campaign on February 1 in Paris. 

The marketing budget for one of the largest tourism boards in the U.S. is about to get a $15 million trim. The Orange County Board of Commissioners approved a proposal on Tuesday to reduce the amount of money that goes to Visit Orlando.