So How was Summer?

The summer heat is just starting to show its first signs of coming down from the peak heights of the year and Labor Day weekend passed signaling the end of the season. As we look to change the decorations for the upcoming holidays sooner than ever, we only need to look to our friends from the Spirit Halloween stores who have been already open for a few weeks now for what comes next. Before we jump into the next season, however, let's take a look at what we have learned from this summer's pros and cons for the next season and summer pivots in our industry.

The season started with Memorial Day signaling the end of school and the beginning of our typical tourism rush. Crickets? Not exactly but nationwide our struggle with attendance has made headlines specifically in naming our destinations. Ouch to attendance for the summer overall but for Memorial Day we we cautiously optimistic with healthy crowds. Things lingered as the cruise lines showed healthy growth, Our convention center got creative and brought us some events and a volleyball tournament, while cheerleading and dance competitions brought competitors to the Wide World of Sports. It was at this time though we had picketers at the entrance to Disney brought by the politics of the moment and crowds struggled.

The Fourth of July is a huge deal everywhere tourism and travel are mentioned is the slam dunk no brainer answer to what is the typical vacation holiday. Healthy crowds for a summer day at the parks but capacity? Remember when we used to get alerts at which parks were at capacity for the day because, after all, it is the holiday? Meanwhile, the beaches on both coasts were laughing at Orlando's superior intellect at tourism as they were filled to close the beaches to driving, and parking was non-existent on most sunny days. St. Petersburg's downtown rejuvenation and the award-winning beaches from Clearwater on down the coast brought Tampa and Sarasota some of the healthiest business over the summer in years. Daytona Beach knows how to leverage its speed weeks but stays away from promoting itself as Spring Break headquarters anymore. MTV remains banned from events there. Cocoa Beach is seeing life from all the new port business and the summer was no exception with temperatures heading well into the scorching levels of the residents of Florida flocking there to enjoy the sand and surf. Once the Fourth of July holiday passed however attendance everywhere dropped like a rock until the beginning of August. The Euro and Canadian multi-week holidays brought us guests into the month of July but they were heavier concentrations on the coasts. When you get on national television and tell the world to boycott our primary industry partner, the entire economic ecosystem suffers. A time for a change has come.

August roars back to life a bit with each week bringing conventions and visitors a bit more steadily. Our storefronts start to get more businesses in places they never should have been vacant and the theme parks get better and better attendance as they have pushed their marketing wings so far as to even put out movies like Haunted Mansion that are movies on rides rather than the rides about events in movies. They want business back and you can tell there is a battlefield mindset in the major tourism centers. Universal has pushed its releases of information on its new park and the construction is easier to be seen by the naked eye as people pass the construction. Still that smell on Sand Lake Road.... hmmm? The islands start to get the fishing seasons going and festivals start on their way, but still no signs of hurricanes this late in the season. Very peculiar for the weather, and temperatures climb into the 100's. Downtown sees many businesses pull up in storefronts that were once considered the most competitive stores to compete from. We see the crowds grow and grow and we are confident that we at least are gaining ground on our woes through the rest of the month.

September arrives and so does our long-lasting friend Halloween Horror Nights. As expected and usual we owe so much of a respect of gratitude as this is an event that Universal Orlando Resort owns with pride. It gets the groups with matching t-shirts of their favorite horror house and let me tell you what a blessing and relief it is to have them here. Florida has a mix of travelers nationwide and internationally. Halloween Horror Nights is the return to Orlando of domestic travel. Expect a fruit basket from the mouse house because this is what they needed too... your people. Labor Day weekend in September is the end of the road for summer but the beginning of football season. Now I am not a fan of either of these teams, but thank you to Florida State University and Louisiana State University for coming to Orlando and kicking off the college football season at Camping World Stadium. The events that surrounded the game included a stage blocking Orange Avenue so the folks at ABC could broadcast the college football kickoff to the season. Blessed beyond words our friends throughout the state with a heavy push from the instate underdogs who brought their alumni and saw their team win. Many thanks for the business to the local mechanisms and spending where it gets to us directly.

Summer 2023 Winners: FSU-LSU / Halloween Horror Nights / Beaches / Cynics

Summer 2023 Opportunities: Traffic / Downtown Tourism / Tourism Campaigns / Any business with people dressed in a character suit.

I would never be someone who would put this in the wrong light, but this was not a summer without a great loss to all those in the industry. Jimmy Buffet was a man who didn't just sing about Florida, he was a true definition of what an ambassador is. He sang about the people and how they love a support each other in paradise. He championed the environment, manatees, the ecosystem, and the commercial balance that's required when you want to keep paradise beautiful. There were parades, news stories, and social media, and Jimmy's music could be heard in the concerts of so many of the artists who were influenced and touched by him and inspired by the paintings his words produced in our hearts and minds. We all have a piece of the burden to keep Florida amazing, safe, and beautiful that he carried for us for so long. Thank you Ambassador Jimmy Buffet for more than I can write or ever express, the experiences where you provided to score to our life, our friendships, and our love, and the people who will never be the same having known you or your music. Respect and grace.

#tourism, #travel, #centralfloridabusiness