Downtown Orlando is seeing the gains promised it by the new venues. In what was essentially the first year of the Dr. Philips Center for the Performing Arts and the first year of the renovated Orlando Citrus Bowl, the Downtown Orlando Information Center recorded a six percent increase in year-to-year number of tourists registering with the department.
Essentially that means the city of Orlando saw an increase in visitors who logged their visit with the downtown information center. There are probably many many more who made their way downtown too.
It certainly cannot be all attributed directly to the building of the events centers, but that is certainly a factor in the increase in visitation to Downtown Orlando.
The city core just has more to offer potential visitors now, which was a big part of the point of building these venues.
Take last night for instance, Downtown Orlando was packed on a Sunday night for the sold-out Royal Rumble. Fans likely traveled from all parts (I was sitting next to a fan from Michigan) to attend the event. It was not an event the old Orlando Arena would get in the event’s current form.
Driving through Downtown Orlando, the city’s core was hopping for a Sunday night. There were certainly other events going on in and around the city too aside from wrestling.
Again this was all the point. There have been several occasions throughout the year where there are multiple events going on downtown. and the city has more than been able to handle them.
Whether it is a Magic game and an Orlando City game or the Cure Bowl and MMA Fight Night or a concert at the performing arts center and a game at Amway Center, the city has shown tremendous growth as an attraction in and of itself.
The reasons might be repeat visitors looking for something new to do. That certainly plays a role in bringing people downtown.
But it is also clear they have more do to do too.
