Orange County's tourist tax take was good, not great in April
The revenue generated by the county's 6% surcharge on overnight hotel stays and other short-term lodging has been a reliable measure of tourist industry health, but Comptroller Phil Diamond, whose office tracks the collections, interpreted the new figures cautiously.
'It's interesting to me that even though we're in the midst of what looks to be a very good year — and we just had a very good month — we didn't beat a number from two years ago when everything was less expensive and hotel rooms cost less,' Diamond said.
April 2025 collections were slightly weaker at $33.1 million than those in both April 2023 ($33.6 million) and April 2022 ($34.6 million).
Epic Universe: Know before you go
Still, revenue from the Tourist Development Tax, or TDT, through the first seven months of fiscal year 2025 has totaled $235.6 million, about $11.3 million ahead of the pace of last fiscal year when TDT raked in a best-ever haul of $359 million.
Diamond expressed concern about slowing international travel and global economic uncertainty, but also noted bright spots.
'I really want to see more Epic results,' he said, referring to Universal's heralded new theme park, Epic Universe. 'I will say I'm pleasantly surprised at the visitation level we've had before the new park even opened. That was a surprise to me and probably other people as well.'
The immersive park officially opened to big crowds May 22 eager to see attractions built around training dragons, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Super Nintendo video games and Dracula, Frankenstein and other celluloid creeps and monsters from the movies.
Tourism figures from May will be revealed in early July.
'I'll miss visiting my American friends': Angered by Trump's threats, Canadians rethink Florida travel
Visit Orlando also offered a somewhat mixed outlook for summer travel in an emailed response about the latest numbers.
Hotel bookings from May through July are currently pacing 1% behind the same time period last year, but the short-term rental market is showing 'robust growth' with bookings 15% ahead of last year, said Casandra Matej, CEO of the region's tourism marketing agency.
She said the average daily room rate was $223.44 in April, driven largely by a surge in leisure travel.
The rate was $208.50 in April 2024.
shudak@orlandosentinel.com
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Los Angeles Times
2 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Every day is Halloween. Why theme parks are going big on year-round horror experiences
Las Vegas — I turn a bend and see a figure in a cornfield. The gray sky is foreboding, a storm clearly on the horizon. When I take a step forward, I'm hit with a gust of wind and fog. Suddenly, it's no longer a silhouette in the haze but a scarecrow, shrouded in hay, lurching toward me. Only I am not on a Midwestern farm, and there is no threat of severe weather. I'm in a warehouse in Las Vegas, walking through a maze called 'Scarecrow: The Reaping.' I jump back and fixate my phone's camera on the creature, but that only encourages them to step closer. I'm hurried out of the farmland and into a hall, where giant stalks now obscure my path. Welcome to Universal Horror Unleashed, which aims to deliver year-round horrors and further expand theme park-like experiences beyond their hubs of Southern California and Central Florida. Horror Unleashed, opening Aug. 14, is an outgrowth of Universal's popular fall event, Halloween Horror Nights, which has been running yearly at the company's Los Angeles park since 2006 and even longer at its larger Florida counterpart. Like Halloween Horror Nights, there are maze-like haunted houses — four of them here themed to various properties such as 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' and 'The Exorcist.' Their more permanent status allows for a greater production factor — think disappearing walls and more elaborate show scenes — and they are surrounded by brooding bars, a pop-up rock-inspired dance show and a host of original walk-around characters. 'Hey, sugar,' said a young woman as I near the warehouse's main bar, a wraparound establishment themed to a large boiler. The actor's face was scarred with blood, hinting at a backstory I didn't have time — or perhaps the inclination — to explore. Horror Unleashed is opening just on the cusp of when theme parks and immersive-focused live experiences are entering one of the busiest times of the year: Halloween. The holiday, of course, essentially starts earlier each year. This year's Halloween Horror Nights begins Sept. 4, while Halloween season at the Disneyland Resort launches Aug. 22. Horror shows and films are now successful year-round, with the likes of 'Sinners' and 'The Last of Us' enrapturing audiences long before Oct. 31. Culture has now fully embraced the darker side of fairy tales. Texas Chainsaw Massacre at the Universal Horror Unleashed. 'You can make every month horrific,' says Nate Stevenson, Horror Unleashed's show director. That's been a goal of David Markland, co-founder of Long Beach's Halloween-focused convention Midsummer Scream, which this year is set for the weekend of Aug. 15. When Midsummer Scream began in 2016, it attracted about 8,000 people, says Markland, but today commands audiences of around 50,000. 'Rapidly, over the past 10 or 15 years, Halloween has become a year-round fascination for people,' Markland says. 'Halloween is a culture now. Halloween is a lifestyle. It's a part of people's lives that they celebrate year-round.' There will be challenges, a difficult tourism market among them, as visits to Las Vegas were down 11.3% in June 2025 versus a year earlier, according to data from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. And then there's the question of whether audiences are ready for year-round haunts that extend beyond the fall Halloween season to winter, spring and summer. I entered Horror Unleashed for a media preview on an early August night when it was 105 degrees in the Las Vegas heat. It's also been tried before, albeit on a smaller scale. Las Vegas was once home to Eli Roth's Goretorium, a year-round haunted house that leaned on torture-horror and shuttered after about a year in 2013. But Universal creatives are undaunted. More than a decade, of course, has passed, and Horror Unleashed is more diverse in its horror offerings. A maze themed to Universal's classic creatures winds through a castle and catacombs with vintage-style horrors and a mid-show scene in which Frankenstein's monster comes alive. Original tale 'Scarecrow: The Reaping,' which began at Universal Studios Florida, mixes in jump scares with more natural-seeming frights, such as the aforementioned simulated dust bowl. TJ Mannarino, vice president of entertainment, art and design at Universal Orlando, points to cultural happenings outside of the theme parks in broadening the terror scene — the success of shows such as 'The Walking Dead' and 'American Horror Story,' which found audiences outside of the Halloween season, as well as 'Stranger Things,' which he says opened up horror to a younger crowd. Theme parks are simply reflecting our modern culture, which is craving darker fantasies. Universal, for instance, recently opened an entire theme park land focused on its classic monsters at its new Epic Universe in Florida, and even Disney is getting in on the action, as a villains-focused land is in the works for Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. 'We think our audience really wants this,' says Mannarino, noting theme park attendance surveys were prodding the company to give horror a permanent home. And at Universal's Orlando park, Halloween Horror Nights starts earlier, beginning in late August. 'Just a couple years ago, we started in August, and we were selling out August dates,' Stevenson says. 'On a micro level, we're seeing that, boy, it doesn't matter if you extend past the season or extend out before the season — people are coming. People want it.' Universal is betting on it, as the company has already announced that a second Horror Unleashed venue will be heading to Chicago in 2027. Smaller, more regional theme park-like experiences are once again something of a trend, as Netflix has immersive venues planned for the Dallas and Philadelphia regions, and Universal is also bringing a kid-focused park to Frisco, Texas. There are antecedents for what Universal is attempting. Disney, for instance, tried an indoor interactive theme park with DisneyQuest, for which a Chicago location was short-lived and a Florida outpost closed in 2017. Star Trek: The Experience, a mix of theme park-like simulations and interactive theater, operated for about a decade in Las Vegas before it shuttered in 2008. 'I know there's horror fans and Halloween fans who are always looking for something to do,' Markland says. 'What [Universal is] doing is very ambitious and big, and so I'm nervous along with them. We'll see how it goes. I'm sure people will go as soon as it opens and through the Halloween season, but after that, I don't know. ... They've definitely invested in Halloween and horror fans. They're all-in.' Horror, says author Lisa Morton — who has written multiple books on the Oct. 31 holiday, including 'Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween' — is thriving in part because today it is taken more seriously by cultural critics. The genre also has metaphorical qualities — the struggle, for instance, that is life, art and creativity in 'Sinners' or the underlying themes of PTSD that permeated the latest season of 'The Last of Us.' That makes it especially appealing, she says, for today's stressful times. 'I suspect that's part of the reason horror is booming right now,' Morton says. 'Everything from climate change, that we seem to have no voice in, and our politics, that don't seem to represent us. Many of us are filled with anxiety about the future. I think horror is the perfect genre to talk about that. When you add a layer of a metaphor to it, it becomes much easier to digest.' To step into Horror Unleashed is to walk into a demented wonderland, a place that turns standard theme park warmth and joy upside down. Don't expect fairy tale-like happy endings. The space's centerpiece performance is twisted, a story centering on Jack the Clown and his female sidekick Chance, who have kidnapped two poor Las Vegas street performers and are forcing them to execute their acts to perfection to avoid murder. The deeper one analyzes it, the more sinister its class dynamics feel, even if it's an excuse to showcase, say, street dancing and hula hoop acrobatics. The space has an underlying narrative. Broadly speaking, the warehouse is said to have been a storage place for Universal Studios' early monster-focused horror films. That allows it to be littered with props, such as the throne-like chair near its entrance, and for nooks and crannies such as a 'film vault' to be renamed a 'kill vault.' Somehow — horror loves a good mystery — the space has come alive, and don't be surprised to be greeted by a vampire or a costumed swampland figure that may or may not be related to the Creature from the Black Lagoon. The goal, says Universal creatives, is to give Horror Unleashed a bit of an immersive theater feel, something that can't really be done among the chaotic scare zones and fast-moving mazes of a Halloween Horror Nights event. But here, guests can linger with the actors and probe them to try to uncover the storyline that imbues the venue. One-to-one actor interaction has long been a goal of those in the theme park space but often a tough formula to crack, in part because cast members are costly and in part because of the difficulty to scale such experiences for thousands. 'As we've evolved this style of experience, we have given more and more control of the show to the actors,' says Mannarino on what separates Horror Unleashed from Halloween Horror Nights. 'It's less programmed. It's less technology. I've had conversations with tech magazines, and they'll ask me what is the most critical piece, and I'll say it's the actors. ... The lifeblood of our all stories — we can build all of this, but it doesn't go without the actors. 'It's what really drives this whole animal,' he adds. It extends a bit to the mazes as well. Audiences should expect to spend about five to seven minutes in each of the four walk-through attractions, but unlike a Halloween Horror Nights event, where guests are rushed from room to room without stopping, in Las Vegas there will be one dedicated show scene per maze. Here, groups will be held to watch a mini-performance. In the 'Exorcist' maze, for instance, that means witnessing a full exorcism, complete with special effects that will have walls give way to demonic specters. In the '70s-themed 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' haunt, look out for a bloody scene designed to drench guests. The mazes are intended to be semi-permanent. Stevenson says there's no immediate plans to swap them out in the near future but hints that Horror Unleashed will be an evolving venue and, if all goes according to plan, will look a bit different in a few years. Thus, he says the key differentiator between Horror Unleashed and Halloween Horror Nights is not necessarily the tech used in the mazes, but the extended time they can devote to unwrapping a story. 'When Universal builds a haunted house, the level of story that starts that out is enormous,' Stevenson says. 'There's so much story. All of our partners need that because they base every little nuanced thing off of that story. Unfortunately, we don't always have the chance to tell that story, and all our fans tell us they want to know more story.' Story percolates throughout the venue. Flatbreads, for instance, are shaped like chainsaw blades. Desserts come on plates that are mini-shovels. Salad dressing is delivered in syringes. In the past, says Mannarino, no one wanted their food to be played with. ''Don't do horrible things to my food!'' he says in mock exaggeration. 'But now, people really love that.' Little, it seems, is obscene, when every day can be Halloween.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Inside Universal's year-round haunted house opening soon in Las Vegas
Universal Horror Unleashed is set to open in Las Vegas on August 14, followed by a second location in Chicago in 2027. Walking through Universal Horror Unleashed's scarecrow-themed haunted house should have been a piece of cake. After all, I was raised in Iowa – I'm no stranger to corn fields. But, while walking through the haunted house's dark maze, pushing past the stalks of corn blocking my path, I could just barely make out the shape of something lurking around the corner, ready to leap from the shadows. I debated turning around. Then, I heard a scream and decided rejoining the monsters lurking in the dark farmhouse behind me wasn't a better alternative. As soon as I took a step forward, a scarecrow lurched at me and made me jump, his clawed hand and ghastly mask illuminated by the flashing lights overhead. "Scarecrow: The Reaping' is just one of four haunted houses available at Universal Horror Unleashed, a new experience located at the Area15 entertainment district just off the Las Vegas Strip. While the space won't open to the public until August 14, USA TODAY was able to take a sneak peek at the event space in early August. Here's what horror fans can expect. One attraction, four haunted houses There are four haunted house options scattered across the attraction, which is made to resemble an abandoned production warehouse: Universal added special touches to fully immerse its guests in each scene. The restaurant inside the 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' haunted house smells like barbecue, while the woods inside "Blumhouse's The Exorcist: Believer" smell like a real forest. In 'Scarecrow: The Reaping," guests push their way through a corn field and get blasted by wind from a dust storm, while ropes hanging from the Hunchback's bell tower block guests' path inside "Universal Monsters." There are even water effects in "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" house, meant to mimic splattering blood during a particularly gruesome reenactment. 'We realize that we can't reach out and actually grab the guests,' said show director Nate Stevenson. 'But we need to reach out and touch the guests in every other sense that we possibly can.' More than just haunted houses The horror isn't over once you escape the haunted houses. Guests can also explore four immersive areas staged between the houses with their own themes, like '80s slasher flicks and classic Universal monsters. Here, original characters like a menacing set of twins and a bug monster are available to chat with guests or give them a fright. 'Our guests can approach these characters, and they'll actually tell you about their story and who they are and they'll interact with you,' Stevenson said, as a vampire queen and mad doctor lingered nearby, adding that it's 'very much immersive theater.' (I made the mistake of asking Stevenson a question about the characters in front of one and got called out for it. 'I'm right here!' said one of the spooky twins, looking like she was ready to tear my head off.) Jack's Alley Bar, another themed area in the warehouse, features a 15-minute show starring Jack the Clown and his sidekick, Chance. Two 'victims' are brought to a stage to perform in Jack's game show, 'Stay or Slay.' (Spoiler: the contestants' dancing and hula-hoop performances were impressive, but did little to win the killer clowns' sympathy.) And in the middle of it all sits The Boiler bar, an enormous machine where guests can take a break to drink craft cocktails. 'The Boiler bar definitely has a spirit of its own, so bear with us. Sometimes he gets a little upset,' said Kim Scott, general manager of Universal Horror Unleashed, as the machine let off steam with a roar in the background. Universal's Las Vegas horror experience: What to expect. Dining options at Universal Horror Unleashed Universal Horror Unleashed offers several dining options to guests who have worked up an appetite from any horror-induced adrenaline rush. Fast-casual stops like Rough Cuts offer themed dishes like Parts of Pieces, a spicy sausage sandwich. There's also a sit-down tapas bar, Premiere House, decorated with movie props and decor representing more recent horror films from Blumhouse. At the latter, guests can dine on small plates inspired by the surrounding houses – including a Texas Chainsaw Flatbread shaped like a saw blade and 'Scarecrow: The Reaping'-inspired dessert called The Haybale, a pecan kataifi roll served on a shovel. Drink options include the Green Dread – a bright green gin concoction served from a beaker – and the Bloodsucker, a rum and blackberry liqueur drink served with a dollop of dark red jello meant to look like a glob of blood. TJ Mannarino, vice president of entertainment, art and design, said attractions would have turned up their noses at the idea of adding grotesque themes to food in the not-too-distant past. But as guests increasingly look for more immersive offerings, he said that's no longer the case. 'Now, people love that,' he said. 'That's another step in this new world.' Horror is no longer just for fall The day I visited was a 100-plus-degree day in the middle of a Las Vegas summer. Not exactly the backdrop that comes to mind when you think of the typical fall spooky season. But that's the point: The team behind Universal Horror Unleashed says horror fans don't disappear once the clock strikes midnight on October 31. Mannarino said that's why Universal's Horror Nights pushed back its opening date from mid-October to late August, and why horror movies and horror-adjacent shows like 'Stranger Things' have success with spring or summer releases. 'Horror has a place year-round now,' Stevenson said. 'People love this group experience. ... There's a lot of real horror in the world, and this offers an escape. It's a way to laugh at horror.' Tickets start at $69 for one-time entry to each house and $99 for unlimited access to houses, with a discount offered to Nevada residents. A second location in Chicago is set to open in 2027.
Business Journals
3 hours ago
- Business Journals
Transforming Central Florida's event landscape: Discover how fiber internet delivers seamless digital experiences for top venues
Central Florida's booming hospitality and entertainment industry has earned a reputation for successfully hosting large-scale national events. In fact, Orlando welcomed 75,333,800 visitors in 2024 according to Visit Orlando! Memorable Events Rely on Digital Connectivity In recent years guests have come to expect seamless digital connectivity from start to finish. For business leaders, IT managers, event organizers, and venue owners alike, Fiber internet is rapidly becoming the gold standard for viral worthy memorable guest experiences. Whether it's a magical event at a theme park, a sold-out concert at the Kia Center, a high-stakes game at Inter & Co stadium, or marquee matches for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, the pressure is on to deliver unforgettable digital guest experiences in Central Florida. This is why many business leaders have proactively made the switch to Fiber internet for their venues and large events. The Power of Fiber Internet for Large Events and Venues Fiber-optic internet uses light to send data through glass strands, offering faster speeds, greater bandwidth, and higher reliability compared to traditional cable or DSL connections. For large event venues, fiber's ability is unmatched. For example, thousands of users can simultaneously stream video, upload content, or complete purchases via point-of-sale systems or their phones. The stakes are high for business leaders at the helm of theme parks, conference centers and expos, and large venues. However, with innovations powered by Fiber internet technology, the gains are undeniable. Here are a few examples. First, by using higher bandwidth, large venues can support simultaneous users, vendors, press, attendees, and staff—without lag or slowdowns. Second, low latency means mission-critical applications like payment processing, digital ticket scanning, and live video feeds work without delay. And third, better network management supports robust tools for managing traffic flow, load balancing, and ensuring secure connections across multiple zones within a large venue. 'During high-profile events, such as national tournaments or annual bowl games, thousands of devices connect to the internet simultaneously. Fiber internet enhances the experience' says Nicholas Lenoci, Vice President, Smart City Telecom. expand From large-scale concerts to conferences or trade shows, organizers benefit from high-quality live streaming for virtual attendees without buffering or dropping signals. They also enjoy easy access for product demos, cloud-based tools, and lead collection. Event apps, scheduling, and maps working in real time. In total this drives engagement and satisfaction. Also important, now more than ever, guests expect to stay online. Whether posting on social media, navigating the venue with an app, or creating a TikTok on the fly, internet performance shapes their perception of the event and venue. Fiber internet ensures guests can live stream post Instagram stories, or video chat without freezing or other interruptions. Food and merchandise vendors enjoy frictionless payments, real-time transactions, and reduced waiting times. Retail vendors can even request customer reviews on the spot. Digital check-ins, wayfinding tools, and personalized mobile notifications all require stable internet connectivity. Alternatively, the consequences of unreliable internet can be disastrous for both venues and guests. For example, if a Wi-Fi network collapsed during keynote presentations it would be disruptive to organizers and attendees. But take it a step further, what if attendees couldn't access their schedule, speakers lost live demo capabilities, and hundreds of sales leads disappeared due to a system crash? And to further add insult to injury, when attendees experience slow or inaccessible internet, their complaints can spread fast. This damages both the event and venue's brand reputation. It could also affect future attendance and attendee recommendations. A Competitive Advantage in Orlando's Hospitality Hub In closing, Orlando's role as a top global destination for entertainment and business gatherings makes internet connectivity business critical. Venues that invest in fiber infrastructure position themselves as tech-forward leaders that prioritize guest experiences. Interested in how Fiber internet can transform your Central Florida or Space Coast based hospitality or entertainment related business? Connect with Smart City Telecom and explore innovative solutions today. Whether it's a music festival looking to offer backstage livestreams or a healthcare conference requiring HIPAA-compliant telemedicine demos, Fiber internet supports powerful end to end experiences. Fiber internet is more than faster downloads, it's about enabling a new level of guest experiences, reliability, and innovation. As Central Florida continues to grow as a hub for tourism, large events and global gatherings, Fiber internet will be the infrastructure that keeps the city connected, competitive, and unforgettable.
