Orlando's Tourism Market Off

Fewer people this year ar e staying in hotels around central Florida's mega-tourist draws, and the area could lose more without stepped up advertising, the head of Orlando's visitors bureau said.

Area hotel occupancy is down 2.8% so far in 2006, while the other top 25 markets for Smith Travel Research saw a 1.8% total increase. With around 50 million annual visitors contributing an estimated $28 billion in yearly spending, the home of Walt Disney World and other huge theme parks is the top tourist spot in a huge tourism state.

But so far this year room demand is down almost 4%, Orlando/Orange County Convention and Visitors Bureau president Bill Peeper told a gathering of hotel representatives.

"The aspiration to come to Orlando is not as strong as it has been in the past," Peeper said. "It does not appear to be a crisis situation, but we need to begin to figure out how we re-energize Orlando's brand."

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