entertainment

Orlando Is No. 1 In 'Staycation' Rankings: Wallethub Report

Orlando Is No. 1 In 'Staycation' Rankings: Wallethub Report

The report includes the 150 most populous metropolitan areas in the U.S., which were judged on 36 qualities. Orlando topped its per-capita lists for amusement parks, public golf courses, paintball fields, arcades, zoos and aquariums, shopping centers, ice-cream shops, spas, theaters and “prevalence of affordable restaurants with 4.5+ stars.”

2018 Pro Bowl Returns To Orlando After Successful First Year

2018 Pro Bowl Returns To Orlando After Successful First Year

The announcement was somewhat expected. After all, more than 60,000 fans attended the 2017 game on Jan. 29 — the climax to a week of professional football events that drew the attendance of thousands of locals and visiting sports fans. Orlando's success was judged on several factors, including if the event sold out, which it did, as well as making sure the players and their families had a great experience and how the youth and high school community’s relationship resonated here in Orlando.

Construction Tees Up For $25M Lake Nona Golf Attraction

Construction Tees Up For $25M Lake Nona Golf Attraction

The project includes a three-story, 57,000-square-foot driving range entertainment facility that includes a restaurant, lounge, bar, hitting bays and meeting spaces, according to Orange County permitting documents. It will be built on a 15-acre site on the northwest quadrant of State Road 417 and Lake Nona Boulevard, as previously reported by Orlando Business Journal. It will be similar to Topgolf, which plans to open an Orlando site on International Drive this fall.

Orlando Sets World Record Thanking 2016’s 68M Visitors

Orlando Sets World Record Thanking 2016’s 68M Visitors

Visit Orlando unveiled a new milestone visitation number as it celebrated the 68M people who visited Orlando in 2016. Dedicating this announcement to our visitors, we teamed up with the Orlando tourism community to show our appreciation by saying "Thank You!" in a new and exciting way.

To do this, the Orlando tourism community came together to hand write thousands of thank you cards for a new campaign we're calling #OrlandosBIGThankYou.

Orlando's Top 12 Highest-Paid Pro Sports Team Athletes

Orlando's Top 12 Highest-Paid Pro Sports Team Athletes

A quick look at the latest salaries of Orlando Magic and Orlando City Soccer players show the basketball team owns nine of the top 10 spots in terms of highest-paid players. The only spot to fall to Orlando City Soccer is No. 6, belonging to soccer star Kaka, who is paid a base salary of $6.66 million.

Disney Parks Imagineers and Lucasfilm Share Details of Their Collaboration on Star Wars-Themed Lands

Disney Parks Imagineers and Lucasfilm Share Details of Their Collaboration on Star Wars-Themed Lands

At the recent panel discussion at Star Wars Celebration in Orlando entitled Star Wars and Disney Parks: A Galaxy in the Making, creative minds from Lucasfilm and Walt Disney Imagineering discussed their unique partnership and shared additional details about the new galactic lands being created at Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts. Everyone in the room got to experience the excitement and commitment this team is bringing to this project.

Orlando Now a Major Player in Sports Travel Destinations

 Orlando Now a Major Player in Sports Travel Destinations

Seven new premier sports events and venues make for a winning vacation in 2017 and beyond. These new additions join a thrilling roster of premiere venues and events throughout the destination for fans of football, basketball, golf, baseball, tennis, hockey, soccer and running.

Walt Disney Co. Theme Parks Are Bright Spot In Slow Q1

Walt Disney Co. Theme Parks Are Bright Spot In Slow Q1

Parks and resorts reported a 6 percent increase in revenue to $4.6 billion in Disney's fiscal first quarter ended Dec. 31, 2016, which compared with $4.2 billion for the first three months of its fiscal 2016 ended Jan. 2, 2016. Disney is the parent company of Walt Disney World in Orlando.

Disney's overall company revenue for the first quarter was $14.7 billion, down 3 percent from $15.2 billion in the prior-year quarter. Net income for the company fell 14 percent to $2.47 billion from $2.88 billion in the first quarter of fiscal 2016.