Orlando tourism sees steady growth in February
February was a strong month for tourism in Orlando, with growth across almost every category.
Hotel occupancy rose by 1.6%, topping 80%, it's the highest level the city has seen since March of last year.
The Orange County Convention Center also saw a surge, with attendance jumping nearly 40%, fueled by large-scale events like MegaCon that drew crowds from around the country.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
Elon Musk and President Donald Trump cool their heated exchange
Hours after a social media feud erupted between Elon Musk and President Trump, the fallout is still being felt. For days leading up to the exchange, Musk who recently left the White House, criticized the Presidents so-called 'Big Beautiful Bill.' At one point, Musk referred to it as an abomination. Trump countered with a threat to save money by terminating Elon's governmental subsidies and contracts. After which, Musk said SpaceX would begin decommissioning its Dragon Spacecraft immediately. He would later walk that one back. Today, Dr. Don Platt, an Associate Professor of Space Systems at Florida Tech, told us, 'I don't think anyone knows really what the next hour could bring, even, but I think that when we're talking about things that are so critical as national security, space, billions of dollars, overall, I think that I suppose we could say cooler heads will prevail.' Eyewitness News learned that 'if' SpaceX decided to immediately decommission the Dragon Spacecraft, the company could find itself in default of its NASA contract, and could potentially be sued for unperformed work and the cost of seeking alternate transportation. But there aren't too many other options. '10, 15 years ago, SpaceX was suing because they were not being given a chance to bid on the things that ULA had or that DOD was putting out. And then they got that claiming, oh, it was a monopoly. Well, now the Boeing Starliner is probably never going to fly again. So that is not an option. You could probably get rides in a Soyuz. There probably will be a couple more astronauts going up, but that is, depending on Russia for anything right now, is not a smart thing to be doing, ' said NASA Watch Founder Keith Cowing. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Orlando suspends Minority and Women Business Enterprise program
The city of Orlando has suspended its Minority and Women Business Enterprise program. City officials said they are reviewing the program to ensure compliance with federal law. It's designed to boost participation from women and minority-owned-businesses on city projects. Channel 9 asked if contractors have been notified or if payments are on hold and we're still waiting on those answers. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Secret Service recovers multiple skimming devices in statewide EBT fraud crackdown
The United States Secret Service, alongside multiple law enforcement agencies in our area, conducted a card-skimming and electronic benefit transfer fraud outreach operation at the end of May. From May 29 until May 30, authorities visited more than 400 businesses to look for illegal skimming devices from ATMs, gas pumps, and point-of-sale terminals and remove them. In total, 17 devices were recovered, preventing the loss of $5.1 million. Criminal groups were targeting EBT information because many states utilize magnetic technology rather than new chip technology, since it's much harder to steal. ALSO READ: Customers on alert as authorities look for people accused of skimming bank cards at local ATM's Channel 9's Almiya White spoke with many people who said they were familiar with that type of scam. Brad Crasnow said he was once a victim of illegal skimming devices. 'Ran my card, and they ended up stealing a few $100 from me after getting gas at a gas station,' said Crasnow. 'It's not cool, like everyone's struggling. Everyone's got their own stuff going on. Like, I work hard for my money. Everybody works hard for their money.' He said he now gives the card scanner a quick tug when paying at the pump. 'Make sure there's nothing that's loose there,' Crasnow explained. Aside from a quick tug on the card reader, Crasnow said he also looks for a certain type of security tape. 'Just looking around, you know, they have all these seals and stuff, usually, that are to show you that it's not broken into or anything like that,' said Crasnow. Authorities said this was the first fraud outreach operation in North Carolina by the U.S. Secret Service. It could be used as a model for other cities around the country where this type of fraud is more common. VIDEO: Customers on alert as authorities look for people accused of skimming bank cards at local ATM's