Visit Orlando's message to Canada: 'We want you back." VIP dinner kicks off sales mission

Visit Orlando brought the warmth to a chilly Toronto evening Tuesday night (Dec. 2) with an intimate gathering of travel trade VIP guests at Etobicoke's La Vecchia Ristorante.

The Discover the Sunshine 2025 VIP Dinner brought together 17 Canadian travel trade professionals with 14 Orlando-based partners and Visit Orlando staff over a four-course meal to show appreciation and reaffirm Orlando's commitment to Canada.

"This evening and this week are all about partnership and appreciation for the clients that support Orlando over many, many years," Elaine Blazys, vice president of travel industry sales for Visit Orlando, told PAX during an interview before guests arrived.

"It's really just about enjoying each other's company for the holidays and saying thank you for supporting Orlando."

But Blazys didn't shy away from addressing what she called "the elephant in the room."

She said 2025 has been challenging for U.S. tourism overall, with Canadian arrivals down approximately 20 per cent.

The tense Canada-U.S. political climate amid the tariff situation, coupled with a weakening Canadian dollar, has in part contributed to a decline in Canadian visitation to the U.S.

"We're dipping a bit this year, of course, it's no secret. It's been a turbulent year," Blazys shared with PAX. "But fortunately, Orlando, as a destination, is a bit more insulated because we are a family market, so we're not feeling that crunch as much as some of the other markets across the U.S."

Orlando welcomed over one million Canadian visitors in 2024, and while 2025 numbers are down roughly half the U.S. average, Blazys emphasized that Canada remains Visit Orlando's number one international market.

"We love Canada. We love Canadians, and we are really here to ensure that they still feel welcome. We want (Canadians) back," she said.

"From a Visit Orlando perspective, we have not taken our foot off the pedal. We are 100% in the market," she told attendees during her welcome remarks. Looking ahead, Blazys sees signs of recovery.

"2026 is looking better. 2026 is looking very optimistic," she told PAX. "We're definitely seeing that with our forward bookings, for sure. It's not exceptional, but it's not bad. It's better. Much better."

Among the tour operators present, Madeleine Brydon, product director & partnerships at WestJet Vacations, shared a similar outlook with PAX: "While travel to the United States is stabilizing, uncertainty remains. We are optimistic about our future forward."

In a November interview with PAX while on-location in Florida, Nancy Jeronimo, manager product at Air Canada Vacations, noted similar positive momentum.

"Over the last few months, we've noticed renewed confidence in cross-border tourism with a gradual return to popular theme-park destinations like Orlando," she said.

According to Jeronimo, Air Canada is operating flights to Orlando from Montreal and Toronto up to seven times a week, Halifax up to three times a week, and Quebec City twice a week, providing strong airlift for Canadian travellers heading to the destination this winter.

Sold-out travel advisor training, new AI-powered tool

The VIP dinner kicked off a three-day Canadian mission that includes sold-out travel advisor training events in Hamilton (Dec. 3) and Toronto (Dec. 4) – both of which now have waitlists, Blazys shared.

This year's delegation is the largest Visit Orlando has brought to Canada in over a decade, featuring 14 Orlando partners including Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld, Brightline, Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, and several hotel properties.

Blazys said Visit Orlando's message to Canada's travel trade is simple: "Welcome. We appreciate you, and you are welcome to the United States and especially Orlando, always. We are here - we're still your Northern friends."

Visit Orlando will be launching an AI-powered component for its Orlando Travel Academy in January 2026.

"We're one of the first destinations that will be launching this component," Blazys told PAX.

The tool will be integrated into Visit Orlando's e-learning platform to help Canadian advisors create personalized itineraries for their clients.

According to Blazys, the AI tool will allow advisors to quickly create customized, client-specific itineraries based on family size, trip duration, interests, and travel styles – and save them for future use with other clients.

The timing aligns with major Orlando developments, including Universal Epic Universe - the first new theme park in Orlando in 25 years which opened in May 2025.

The destination has also added thousands of new hotel rooms and earned Michelin recognition for 59 restaurants, including Sorekara, Orlando's first-ever Two-MICHELIN-Star honoree.

Dual campaigns: family moments and winter escape

Visit Orlando is currently running two marketing campaigns in Canada.

The Moments in Between campaign is an evolution of Orlando's Unbelievably Real brand. Launched in Ontario and Quebec this past September, it showcases the spontaneous, emotional moments that make Orlando "Unbelievably Real.”

The Moments in Between represents that playfulness, that spontaneity – perhaps when you get off a thriller ride and you're having a high five with your family, or just that connection you make," Blazys explained. "That moment in between the actual thrill of the trip is really what (this) campaign is all about."

Running alongside it is the Winter Doesn't Exist campaign, which runs from November 2025 through April 2026, targeting cold weather markets experiencing winter blues and promoting Orlando's warm temperatures.

When asked how Orlando competes with all-inclusive sun destinations like Mexico and the Caribbean, Blazys drew a clear distinction.

"We are a family destination, and I don't feel that we compete with the sun with Mexico and the Caribbean," she said. "Orlando is unique with 15 theme parks, and all of the attractions. It's just a completely different type of vacation for a family versus the Caribbean. From a family's perspective, it's almost a once-in-a-lifetime trip to create those moments and experiences."

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