KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Kissimmee is stepping up its efforts to attract international visitors as part of a broader push to boost tourism in the city.
“Expedition Kissimmee” is currently underway. The three-day workshop is showcasing the city as a premier travel destination to the world.
“We’re bringing in the top tour operators and media from 17 different countries around the world. There are 85 tour operators in attendance here, and there’s, I think, 15 media journalists from around the world,” President and CEO of Experience Kissimmee DT Minich said.
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The goal of the event is to market Kissimmee globally to increase international visitors. Minich expects this push will help in that effort.
“It’s about 15% of our business. It’s 15% of the total number, but the thing is, on our international visitors, they stay longer and they spend way more than a domestic visitor,” Minich explained.
However, longer stays mean more people in Osceola County, which is already busy as it continues to be one of the fastest-growing counties in the nation.
News 6 asked Minich his thoughts on this.
“There’s very small time frames when it’s super, super busy and the message that we try to tell residents is, you wouldn’t have all these great things to do and experience if the tourists weren’t here to help support it, because they can’t support some of these attractions, and especially restaurants without the tourism influx as well,” he said.
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Longtime Kissimmee resident Brenda Johnson has witnessed the growth in population and tourism firsthand and has had to adjust her life around it.
“There’s a lot of congestion,” Johnson said. “I try to make all my doctor’s appointments in the morning because if I make it in the evening, like 3:00 or 4:00, and I live 7 or 8 miles from here, it takes me way over an hour just to get home because of the traffic and everything.”
Despite the congestion, Johnson believes the tourism industry is vital to the local economy.
“Florida is built on tourism, and my son-in-law works for Disney,” she said. “Tourism impacts the hospitality industry. I used to work in it for about 28 years, and if you don’t have a lot of tourists, you don’t have no business,” Johnson added.