The British Aren't Coming To Orlando

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<font color=royalblue>Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love y
Joined
Apr 2, 2006
I've just seen this article in the Orlando Sentinel.

The number of British visitors to Orlando fell in 2010 for a third consecutive year, a puzzling decline in travel from what was once Central Florida's biggest international market.

Experts offer various reasons for the continuing losses, though it's difficult to say for sure why it's happening.

Last year was considered ideal for British visitors in some respects, thanks mostly to the opening of Universal Orlando's Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction.

Yet last year British travel to Central Florida was down nearly 15 percent, to about 710,000, according to the latest estimate from Visit Orlando, the local visitors bureau.

One possible explanation for what's going on with British travelers in Orlando involves understanding how they get here.

Many arrive in the area on charter flights, having bought discount vacation packages that offer theme-park fun in Orlando and often some sun, sand and surf at nearby beaches. But in 2008-09, two of those key charter operators — XL Leisure Group and Globespan Group — went belly-up and stopped flying into Orlando Sanford International Airport. Meanwhile, some of the airlines with scheduled flights into Orlando International Airport from the U.K. switched to smaller planes, further reducing capacity.

That shrinkage — which amounted to about 9 percent last year — might have forced some British tourists to fly into other Florida airports, said Danielle Courtenay, chief marketing officer for Visit Orlando.

"The first arrival [airport] tends to be the city that they're counted at," Courtenay said. "That could be one of the reasons why there's a little bit of a dip" in Orlando's count.

Another possible reason for the 15 percent drop last year and the 13.4 percent decrease the year before that: Britain in the past two years has sharply increased its "air-passenger duty" — a tax that airline passengers pay when flying from the U.K. to someplace else. The tax is zoned geographically, so now it costs much more to fly to the U.S. than to some European destinations — though not quite as much as it costs to fly to places such as the Caribbean.

Strangely enough there's no mention of what effect the introduction of ESTA might have had on the drop in visitors. :sad2: I think possibly more of us are flying indirect these days to save money so that might account for the drop in figures as well.

Any other thoughts?
 
The obvious thing is the state of the economy and the fact everything seems to be a lot more expensive in the last year or so.

I would imagine there are many p;eople not having a holiday or choosing to go short haul instead at the moment.

The exchange rate has also been low over the last 2 years compared to its peak in the 1.90's before that.
 
The obvious thing is the state of the economy and the fact everything seems to be a lot more expensive in the last year or so.

I would imagine there are many p;eople not having a holiday or choosing to go short haul instead at the moment.

The exchange rate has also been low over the last 2 years compared to its peak in the 1.90's before that.

Have been the past 4 of the last 5 years, but won't be going this year because of flight prices. We had a budget (which was a 15% increase on last year - more than fair increase!) and no airline could offer us anything within £100 of it, so it's simple - we won't go until we can get flights at a price that is comparible to what we have paid in previous years. :confused3
 
Have been the past 4 of the last 5 years, but won't be going this year because of flight prices. We had a budget (which was a 15% increase on last year - more than fair increase!) and no airline could offer us anything within £100 of it, so it's simple - we won't go until we can get flights at a price that is comparible to what we have paid in previous years. :confused3

This was a major factor for us too. We did get good prices for our flights, but had we not managed to do so, this would have been the reason for not going. I agree, aside from the state of the economy, the flights and exchange rate are big factors at the moment.
 
have they not heard that there is a ressesion on?
Airport tax hiked
Fuel gone through the roof
lots of folks losing there jobs or in fear of it
ESTA charge
Poor exchange rate (then again $1.60 is a good average)

We just got back from skiing this half term and less there than last year (hotelier reckons 30% less)
Might be a good thing as Aug wont be too busy when we go
Paul
 
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-british-tourism-tax-20110309,0,3802373.story

By Sara K. Clarke, Orlando Sentinel
6:07 p.m. EST, March 9, 2011

The number of British visitors to Orlando fell in 2010 for a third consecutive year, a puzzling decline in travel from what was once Central Florida's biggest international market.

Experts offer various reasons for the continuing losses, though it's difficult to say for sure why it's happening.

Last year was considered ideal for British visitors in some respects, thanks mostly to the opening of Universal Orlando's Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction.

Built around English author J.K. Rowling's beloved novels, which have a massive fan base in the United Kingdom, the Potter attraction has been immensely popular: Although open only the second half of the year, it boosted Universal's annual attendance by 20 percent, or nearly 2 million additional guests.

Yet last year British travel to Central Florida was down nearly 15 percent, to about 710,000, according to the latest estimate from Visit Orlando, the local visitors bureau.

At its high point in 2007, the yearly head count of Brits reached nearly 1 million, according to Visit Orlando, though it then fell during the recession by 3.1 percent in 2008 and 13.4 percent in 2009.

Stranger still, last year's local decrease conflicts with statewide figures compiled by Visit Florida, the state's quasi-private marketing agency. According to Visit Florida, which uses a different methodology to count tourists, travel from the U.K. to the state rebounded last year, rising 5 percent to 1.3 million visitors.

In Miami, which tracks visitors from just England, rather than the U.K. overall, the number of visitors fell 3.7 percent last year to 290,827. But in neighboring Fort Lauderdale, the number of Brits paying that area a visit rose slightly, 0.6 percent, to 181,947, according to the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau.

One possible explanation for what's going on with British travelers in Orlando involves understanding how they get here.

Many arrive in the area on charter flights, having bought discount vacation packages that offer theme-park fun in Orlando and often some sun, sand and surf at nearby beaches. But in 2008-09, two of those key charter operators — XL Leisure Group and Globespan Group — went belly-up and stopped flying into Orlando Sanford International Airport. Meanwhile, some of the airlines with scheduled flights into Orlando International Airport from the U.K. switched to smaller planes, further reducing capacity.

That shrinkage — which amounted to about 9 percent last year — might have forced some British tourists to fly into other Florida airports, said Danielle Courtenay, chief marketing officer for Visit Orlando.

"The first arrival [airport] tends to be the city that they're counted at," Courtenay said. "That could be one of the reasons why there's a little bit of a dip" in Orlando's count.

Another possible reason for the 15 percent drop last year and the 13.4 percent decrease the year before that: Britain in the past two years has sharply increased its "air-passenger duty" — a tax that airline passengers pay when flying from the U.K. to someplace else. The tax is zoned geographically, so now it costs much more to fly to the U.S. than to some European destinations — though not quite as much as it costs to fly to places such as the Caribbean.

"Last time that the APD was raised, any growth that we saw in the U.K. market stopped," said Vicki Jaramillo, marketing director for the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority. "Things like this are a challenge for any destination that is trying to attract U.K. travelers."

Key tourism partners, including the airport, are drafting a letter to U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Winter Park and chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, alerting him to the possible effect of the British tax on Central Florida tourism, Jaramillo said.

And it's not just an Orlando issue. Destinations across the state consider the U.K. one of their top international markets.

"They tend to travel during what we would call a 'shoulder' — or a slower — season," said Andy Newman, spokesman for the Florida Keys, which markets itself heavily in the U.K. but has also seen a decline in the number of British tourists. "It's an important part of the equation."

As for 2011, Orlando's visitors bureau is forecasting a 4.5 percent increase in British visitors compared with last year, which would raise the tally to 740,000.

As for the 2008-10 declines locally, it's likely that the middle-class British families who historically flock here for theme parks and beach days were particularly affected by their country's general economic turmoil, said Sean Snaith, an economist at the University of Central Florida.

"People in those middle-income classes are still really struggling," Snaith said. "I think the holiday to Disney World is low-hanging fruit when British households have to start making those decisions" to cut back on discretionary spending.

Canada is currently the area's No. 1 international market, followed by the U.K. and then Brazil.

As the British economy slowly recovers, tourism promoters in Orlando are looking for ways to recapture the U.K. market. Visit Orlando is planning summits with its business partners here and abroad to discuss how Orlando can remain competitive.

"It's really getting everybody in a room to talk about: What are you hearing? What are you seeing? What do we need to do as a destination?" Courtenay said. "As the U.K. market comes out of an economic slump, we're not going to be the only ones trying to get our U.K. share back."

skclarke@tribune.com or 407-420-5664
 
I have been price-watching for only 2 years and have seen big increases. For Virgin flights and OKW with free DDP plus tickets: 2010 would have cost us about £6000, 2011 price was just over £7000 and the same package for 2012 will probably see us paying closer to £8000.:scared1: I have booked because I was close to being priced out of Florida completely. If we had been before, we would have probably given it a miss at these prices.:sad2:
 
Flight prices.

Have been lucky enough to go to florida almost yearly since 1997. Always travelled off peak, not fussy who flew with - always paid under £300 a flight. Fast forward to now and anything around £500 is a good deal.

Say the main visitor market is a family with 2 kids you are looking at £2500 for direct flights alone in school holidays - that is just not achievable for most families.

Still think florida is reasonably priced for accomodation and dining - it's the price of getting there that is preventing people.
 
Flight prices! They are getting outrageous. Interesting though, that the number of Brits visiting Disneyland Paris has dropped too.
 
Less competition = higher prices - this coupled with the lower exchange rate and 'credit crunch' means people are less able to afford to go.

Going back a couple of years I would guess there would have been a good chunk of people sticking the cost of a holiday on their credit cards and not thinking twice - and that option just isn't there any more.
 
For us its all about flight prices.Historicaly Disney have offered good discounts, free dining etc. I think the situation will worsen, take for example our 2010 holiday, our flight for 2 adults and 2 children was £1900 with Virgin.Fast forward to the exact same dates in May for this year, £3,857, for which £1053 is taxes:scared1:
Here lies the reason plain and simple.
Airlines need to take a chunk of the blame along with our wonderful governments.I have been watching these prices since September of last year, constantly looking at the same dates, September the price for May was £2944, 28th October it was £2796, 1st November £2646 December £3102, then up and up from then.Most families only have set days to travel, so they cant get the best deals, eg if we were to travel a few days earlier the flight would be over £1000 cheaper, so you cant blame the fuel prices:mad:
Stick me in a room with the tourist people and congressmen, I'll soon tell them where the problem lies.
Rant over, I'm going for a lie down :headache::headache:
 
Flight prices, plain and simple. Coupled with the fact that most people have less money in their pockets at the moment (unless you're Fred the shread ;-) ) if you're still lucky enough that is to have a job!

As for visitor numbers dropping at DLRP - I would NEVER pay full price for DLRP, only been when really good offer on. I would say food/restaurant prices there is keeping their repeat visitors away.
 
As for visitor numbers dropping at DLRP - I would NEVER pay full price for DLRP, only been when really good offer on. I would say food/restaurant prices there is keeping their repeat visitors away.

This. There's not enough to do there to justify more than 3-4 nights for most people, so the cost per day (flights + tickets + accommodation) is already extortionate. This, coupled with the fact that the cost of food and drinks is quite simply astronomical, means fewer people will visit.
 
For me its simple,

pay the mortgage,
pay the bills,
pay the debts
buy the food

once thats done there is not much left lately,

plus the threat of losing ones job is very much out there, and the cost just keeps going up for everything.

Holidays are a bit of a luxury at the moment, Florida doubly so !
 
It just comes down to flight prices for us, we have been lucky in being able to purchase DVC, which we did when the exchange rate was 2:1. There is no doubt that Florida holidays as a package are becoming very expensive and its a luxury to be able to vacation in Orlando. £900-1000 for two weeks of park tickets! Food and transportation all add to the price. Having said all that I would forgo many other things during the year to get my 2 weeks in Disney!
 
For us it's simple enough - do we want to help our son through university or have an expensive holiday?

It's particularly expensive for us as our children are now adults, but at 17 and 20 I fund quite reasonable that they should be expected to pay adult prices even if we can't afford them!

What I did find hard to accept was paying adult prices when they were only 12 (or 10 in the case of Disney's definition.)
 
For us it's simple enough - do we want to help our son through university or have an expensive holiday?

It's particularly expensive for us as our children are now adults, but at 17 and 20 I fund quite reasonable that they should be expected to pay adult prices even if we can't afford them!

What I did find hard to accept was paying adult prices when they were only 12 (or 10 in the case of Disney's definition.)

::yes:: ::yes::

I couldn't agree more. My girls are only 5 and 8 but we all know how expensive further education is becoming so there is no way I would starve them of future opportunities for the sake of our florida fantasies, I'd rather go camping!
We haven't been since 2007 as we wanted to extended the house and replace our car without borrowing. Simple!
 
in summary:

1) Downturn in the Economy = we have less cash to spend

2) Increased Air Taxes and less flights = more expensive (plus less deals so even more expensive again)

3) 25% reduction in $/£ exch rate = its more expensive when we get there (2008-2010).

Bottom line is no matter how much we love DisneyWorld, we've less money available, yet it has become a significantly more expensive holiday.

I'm surprised the drops only 15% per year!
 

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