Millions of Britons chose to stay in the UK this summer and forego their annual summer holiday abroad. If you’re one of the many people that chose to stay put this year, are you happy with the choice you made or have you been left feeling a tad short-changed?

With the traditional British weather raining on everyone’s parade and the recession still kicking around, you’d be forgiven for looking beyond our shores as you plan for your holiday 2010. Throw in fact that most domestic destinations still cost a pretty penny and the bigger question becomes – what reason do you have not to go abroad?

With sunnier financial prospects expected next year, families are already looking ahead and booking overseas trips to ensure they get their dose of fun in the sun. But finding the ideal holiday to suit everyone – from young children to hard-to-please teenagers, from stressed-out parents to elderly grandparents – can be a challenge.

Few places in the world have something for everyone at any age yet Orlando fills most criteria whether it’s theme parks, relaxing venues, golf courses and spas, or world-class entertainment, shopping and fine dining – you’re sure to find something suitable for you without being to pricey.

Log on to our exclusive webchat with Frances Tuke from ABTA (The Travel Association) and Danielle Courtenay from The Orlando Tourism Bureau, to find out why a visit to Orlando could just be the tonic you need.  We will also be revealing research findings from The Orlando Tourism Bureau about the staycation trend this year and what our plans are for next year. They can answer any questions about a trip that is sure to make you and your family smile.

Frances Tuke from ABTA (The Travel Association) and Danielle Courtenay from The Orlando Tourism Bureau join us live to discuss the return to real vacations.

For more information visit www.visitorlando.com/uk.

H: Lis Speight, host
F: Frances Tuke, ABTA
D: Danielle Courtenay, Orlando Tourism Bureau

H: Hello and welcome to the Travel Show, I’m Lis Speight. Now then with the recession still biting, many of us Brits chose to holiday here in the UK over the summer. However with sunnier financial prospects expected next year, there’s no doubt many will already be thinking about booking an overseas trip, but finding the ideal holiday to suit everyone, from young ones to hard-to-please teenagers, stressed out parents or even younger couples – well that can be a bit of a challenge. Joining me today to talk about this and more are Frances Tuke from ABTA, welcome along Frances

F: Thank you very much

H: Really great to see you today. And Danielle Courtenay from The Orlando Tourism Bureau, whose come all the way from the States to be with us

D: Yes

H: So thanks very much, nice to see you. Now remember that we are live so if you want to get your comments or questions into us, all you have to do is to type your name and your questions in the box that’s on the screen, press submit and it’ll come through to us here in the studio and we’ll try to get through as many as we can during the course of the show. But before we take your questions let’s talk a little bit about where we holidayed this year. Now a lot of us were holidaying in Britain this year, we chose to stay in the UK. How did that go – staycation? Was that a success for most people?

F: the original meaning of a staycation was that you didn’t go anywhere, you stayed at home and then you went and saw attractions near – in your local vicinity. However this year it seemed to have come to mean that we are holidaying in the UK

H: Right

F: We’re staying in the UK for our domestic breaks, and yes they’re fantastic. The holiday product in the UK is fantastic. But we were promised a barbecue summer

H: Yes

F: That didn’t materialise

H: No

F: And for a lot of people that has meant that they felt a little bit short-changed

H: Yes

F: Obviously that’s not the only attraction in the UK, we’ve got a lot of history, culture, fantastic beaches and lovely countryside

H: But it helps if the sun shines doesn’t it?

F: It does help if the sun shines and so people did feel a little bit I think probably champing at the bit in terms of next year and thinking mmm maybe next year I’ll go abroard, and certainly Orlando has actually done some research which has found out – they wanted to find out what people’s thoughts were for next year

H: Right

F: In terms of holidaying abroad, and indeed compared to the number of people who said that they holidayed here in the UK and those people who holidayed abroad, that has jumped up massively in terms of people’s intentions

H: Right

F: To book overseas for next year. So we’re seeing something in the region of 29% of people said that they went abroad this year, and that’s jumped up to kind of some regions up to 50% of people wanting to go abroad next year

H: Right. So nearly double then in some cases?

F: In some cases yes

H: And what sort of places are the popular ones that people are looking at for next year?

F: Well I’m afraid it won’t change drastically from this year. What we see always in terms of overseas holidays and top ten destinations is that Spain, Western Europe, France, Italy, Greece – those destinations are top. But the USA is number – it can be number 3 –

H: Wow

F: In terms of the top destinations, and within that Orlando and Florida is indeed the top destination for long haul travellers

H: Because you haven’t got to go as far to get to Europe but it’s not as cheap as it was, let’s face it

F: It’s not and that’s a lot to do with the Euro, but you can get some very good deals and value for money for overseas holidays, and as you know we’ve got a very competitive holiday industry –

H: That’s right. You can get some very good deals

F: And as a result of that the way the market is cut up, we can get, we can get really good deals for hotels. Accommodation and of course flights, and together in packages they can be fantastic deals out there, as there is already for 2010.

H: So spending money-wise the Euro – I mean it has got more expensive. I went to France this year and it was incredibly expensive actually. I was quite surprised, but you do budget by maybe taking your own food if you’re going camping and that sort of thing. But going to the States of course the dollar – you do get a bit more for your money don’t you?

F: You do and the value – the living expenses out in the US are much lower than they are here, so you can eat out for much cheaper, and the exchange rate is actually looking pretty good for the States at the moment. So value for money, fantastic, it’s absolutely fantastic, the deals are coming through that are very, very good indeed. And yes your dollar does go quite a long way

H: Yes and there’s a warm welcome waiting for you in America, we would hope

D: Absolutely. Absolutely, that’s the one thing that we can say – especially in Orlando – you’re going to find the sun, and we know that’s important for everybody and especially for our visitors from the UK, it’s our number one international market, the UK market is

H: Oh right that’s interesting.

D: It’s very important to us and that’s the first thing we hear, what are people looking for and it’s the sun, sun, sun – water, sun, water, sun – adventure. Nature and that’s one of the things that makes Orlando a great choice, is with over 100 attractions whether you’re talking about whether you have small children, whether it’s going with your girlfriends, whether it’s going with your mate, everybody is pretty much guaranteed to have a great time in Orlando, and the holidays, especially in these economic conditions are even more and more important –

H: Yes. People really pin their hopes on them

D: So you want to walk away – you know you want to walk away and make sure that you’ve accomplished what you want to out of a holiday, and you know some of our partners like Virgin and TCD, Thomas Cook, they come up with some fabulous offers, you know starting at £469 for 14 days

H: Wow

D: Coming out to Orlando for the next year, so whether you want to come for your school break or even coming into the Christmas shopping season, there’s some great deals and packages on shopping as well

H: Yes, shopping. We like a bit of that don’t we ladies? But for any of you who haven’t been to Orlando, I haven’t actually, we have actually got a little bit of video footage just to give you a taster of what it’s like out there. Take a look at this

Video Footage

H: Well just look at that fantastic sunshine. It makes me really want to go, I have to say. It looks like there’s a lot on offer though, not just the theme parks. Danielle just tell us a little bit about – you’ve touched on it already – but what Orlando has to offer. Right across the spectrum really

D: Well you know the theme parks of course are the number one reason people come to visit Orlando, but it’s a little bit different than going to a theme park in another destination. You know with Walt Disney World you’ve got four theme parks, 17 hotels, you’ve got the water parks, and a lot of the new things. You know if you’ve been to Orlando, if you didn’t come last year you’ve now – or this year – you’ve missed opening of American Idol, so you can actually go through and every night somebody gets a golden ticket to go and try out for the American Idol TV show

H: Wow

D: So you know some of those new things, whether it’s Expedition Everest, the Spas, you’ve got the Walt Disney World complex, you’ve got the Universal Orlando Resort, just opened Rip Ride Rocket, you can pick your own soundtrack to ride a roller coaster to

H: Whatever will they think of next?

D: So of course next year – yes I mean it’s very, very intense. Next year they’ll be opening the Wizarding Worlds of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort, so there’s always something new and of course at Worlds of Discovery you can swim with the dolphins

H: Wow

D: They just –

H: Everybody wants to do that don’t they?

D: They do, I believe that was on the list or the UK, one of the top ten things and it always has been on the top ten things. And also they just opened a new roller coaster, Manta which you actually fly through the park and you’re on your belly, it’s on a Manta ray and just last year opened the new water park. So the theme parks certainly are covering everything, but we know average stay is about 11 days

H: Right

D: So the other things that are very popular are golf, going out to nature, going and seeing the alligators, going canoeing. Some of the adventure things we find some people want to be very adventurous, so sky diving, hand-gliding, you know some of those things, going out on ATVs, renting a Harley

H: What’s an ATV?

D: All trained vehicle so going out through –

H: Excuse my ignorance, if you all knew that at home

D: Yes but we now all do that so the destination has really changed, and some of the other things that people don’t sometimes realise or think about is our spas

H: Right yes

D: We have a very top-named spas now that we didn’t have and our food. We weren’t particularly known as a food destination so you can really kind of pick your experience, you might want to relax one day, you might want to go shopping one day, you want to go out and try something new, very adventuresome one day, go ride roller coasters, spend time in theme parks, and that’s one of the things that makes it such a great holiday destination

H: There’s just something for everyone isn’t there?

D: There is something for everybody

H: Let’s move on to some of your questions actually because we’ve had quite a few coming in, and we’ve got one from Sarah Bayne, she says “hello, I’m a real foodie. Can you tell me a bit more about the gastronomy in Orlando and how does it match up to New York for example?” We’ve all heard about the food in America, they just give you massive portions don’t they?

D: They do but one of the things that has been so unique, actually we have the same amount of top wine Sommeliers as New York

H: Oh right

D: And some of the – Todd English has a restaurant in Orlando, so a lot of the top chefs are opening. Cat Cora’s opening a new restaurant just coming up in a couple of weeks. In fact all of September is what we call magical dining month, so we have over 75 restaurants that you can go and do a prix fix and it’s a trial and it’s anything from Norman Van Aiken’s which is a five star restaurant down to some very casual dining. So for foodie you know the biggest thing is it’s very international cuisine

H: Right

D: And – because we have such an international mix of people that live in Orlando, and people that come to visit, you know whether it’s Mediterranean cuisine, and I know you have a lot of that here in London as well, but then you can throw in some of the eclectic things like going and seeing a dinner show

H: Yes, yes

D: So you can be watching as – while you’re watching a horse show you can be in part of a mystery during your dinner show, so you know if you’re a real foodie you probably aren’t going to go for that but you may say you know what, I’m in Orlando, it’s a little bit quirky

H: Yes let’s give it a go

D: Let’s give it a go. Or you may go downtown and experience some of the very local fare downtown, so you know for foodies you can go and you can go to cooking school, you can go to wine tastings, you can go to beer tastings. So it really is – has become a foodie’s place

H: Yes so there we are Sarah, there’s something for everybody. She’s going to be full up after all of that lot isn’t she?

D: Absolutely

H: So Danielle what’s – you actually – sorry Frances, you actually went to Orlando, you’ve been a couple of times haven’t you?

F: I have yes

H: Tell us what your memories are – what were the things that really lit your fire about it?

F: Well I – I mean actually we were a little bit out of the theme parks – it’s got fantastic lakes actually and we went on a – on a air boat, on one of the lakes, and that was fantastic. And that’s something people don’t think about, it’s actually the 4^th biggest shopping destination in the US, and I did some shopping out there, we got some really good deals, and we went round Thanksgiving and there were Thanksgiving sales

H: Yes

F: Which are fantastic

H: So take an empty suitcase then?

F: Well yes it’s quite a good idea. But of course, I mean I have to say I do like the theme parks, so Rocking Roller Coaster did it for me and the Tower of Terror. I love that

H: It’s not just for the kids is it?

F: It isn’t

H: We all know that don’t we?

F: Not at all

H: When you’ve got kids it’s just an excuse to go isn’t it?

D: Absolutely

F: But they have to be the right size otherwise you go by yourself!

H: But talking about the lakes and what have you, there are beaches but they’re a little bit further away aren’t they? Let’s just take one of your questions on that. Helen Sellers says “I went to Disney World when I was younger and loved Orlando generally but want to go somewhere else there. Obviously Disney World is a major attraction, but does Orlando have any beaches or coastline?” Danielle?

D: Well we’re actually in the middle of Florida which puts us in a very unique aspect, and yes if you go to Discovery Cove and swim with the dolphins there are beaches there, and we have hotels that have beaches, but we’re only 45 minutes away from the east coast beaches

H: Right

D: So if you’re looking for the surf and you might be a surfer or have somebody that wants to go surfing, you go to the east coast beaches

H: Right

D: We’re an hour-and-a-half from the west coast beaches which are a little flatter, more shelling, so we’re actually perfectly positioned in the middle and on the east side you can go watch a space shuttle launch

H: Yes

D: So you can stay in Orlando and kind of do day trips

H: Yes

D: Go canoeing up at Wekiwa springs so you really have that opportunity, so while we don’t have a proper beach you get two beaches to choose from which is actually even better

H: And ¾ of an hour is nothing, I mean we did – you know you do that in no time don’t you, especially in the roads in America because they’re so easy to drive on

F: And even on the Atlantic coast it’s really quite warm, the water,

H: Yes

F: I mean the surfing is fantastic and the beaches are extraordinary out there, and –

H: – in America

F: Yes some of them that you can actually drive on, they’re hard enough

H: Fantastic

F: But it is – they are lovely, lovely beaches

H: Yes. So worth the trip. We’ve got a question in on that sort of talking about travelling around actually. James says “my family and I want to go to various theme parks in Orlando but my wife also wants to do the shopping thing” – and why not? I hope you’ve got your credit card with you James! “How spread out is everything? Is it a good idea to book tours or hire a car? Is it better to sort it out before we get there?” what would you say to that?

D: Well absolutely, I mean one of the things with Orlando is it’s compact but you definitely, if you’re looking at going from the theme parks to the shopping I would hire a car. We are a very large rental car market, and you know if you want to rent a convertible and you can have the sun out all the time. Plus you need somewhere to put all the packages! So I would hire a car but the other thing is if you are at the resorts, they do have very easy access to the theme parks and they have shuttles that go back and forth to the theme parks

H: Oh that’s a good tip

D: So it really really is your option, and then Frances could probably talk about the difference between booking ahead or booking when you get there

H: What would you advise?

F: I would advise a little bit of pre-planning, as I would with any trip actually and to really think about what it is that you want to do, but I would go and talk to your travel agent actually a bit

H: Right

F: Someone who is a bit of an expert, someone whose actually done some Orlando training and has been there and really knows their stuff, so that they can advise you what’s going to work for you best, because there are so many different options I think. Danielle’s told me that there are a 100 different attractions there so you need to kind of work out what’s going to be best for you

H: Because you can’t do everything in two weeks

F: And not miss out – yes

H: You can always go back can’t you

D: Absolutely. Absolutely

H: You can make the best of it, isn’t it? Moving on to more of your questions, keep them coming in if you want to send your questions in all you have to do is type your name that’s in the box on the screen, press submit, it will come through to us here, and Annabel did just that and she said “we want to go to various theme parks in Orlando with our son and have been looking online for the best deals. There are so many tour operators and with the American ones I don’t really know which are the most experienced and reliable as I’ve never been there before. How do I make sure I’m not booking with a dodgy tour operator?” Frances probably best to answer that one

F: Well yes I would say look for an ABTA symbol, and probably your best off booking with a UK –based member

H: Right

F: So that if anything does come – you do have any issues, then you can come back to them in the UK, talk to us at ABTA and we can help sort through any of the issues that you might have. Also I would really strongly recommend you booking a package

H: Right

F: Which given that you are going to have to book a flight and usually accommodation, if you do it with a package then you’ve got that cast iron guarantee of financial protection

H: Yes

F: so I would definitely for Orlando there’s no doubt about it, book a package

H: Because it’s a bit complicated trying to do it all in little bits and pieces, you might save a few quid but maybe it’s not worth it

F: I think there are so many great experts out there, travel experts, who actually have the buying power, who have the access, the knowledge that can save you a lot of time and money

H: Yes

D: And actually buying the tickets in advance, it does save you money, buying the tickets in advance before you go and it also does save you time

H: For the theme parks you mean?

D: Because you don’t have to queue up for the tickets

F: For the tickets

D: As well

H: Yes. Which actually I think we’ve got a question on that. Yes Bella, says “my husband and I want to take our daughter to Disney World and I’ve been looking online. Is it better to get our passes beforehand and in-hotel pass packages, or when we get there?”

D: Yes definitely the ticket packages that they have along with the accommodation and the packages from the tour operators, they take that all into account

H: Yes

D: And so the pricing that’s over here in the UK is fantastic pricing

H: Right

D: What – you know the most expensive tickets is the one day ticket at the gate

H: Right ok

D: So if you’ve done some planning and you know you’re going to be there several days or you want to go park hopping and you want to go between the parks, and that’s where some of the planning and sitting down with the travel agent is you can really plan that out a little bit. Not everything, we all want flexibility

H: Yes

D: And that’s the nice thing, you get to a destination and you want to run over here, you want to see this

H: Yes

D: But get some of your main things laid down, you’ll go online, go to our website, look through, watch the videos, have some family fun time and then really go and sort if out.

H: Planning is half the fun I think –

F: Yes

H: I love the planning –

F: You just get so excited

H: And once you’ve booked it you can really think ahead can’t you and get all excited about it! Time for another question, Pauline says “I know Florida weather is warm but when is the best time to go there? Is a Florida winter like the Caribbean” – or an Orlando one – “and still hotter than our sad British summers?” So when is the best time to go to Orlando?

D: Well we would say all year long, it really depends on whether you’re constrained by school holidays. You know if you’re in the school holiday time frame that’s a great time to come, great time to come with your kids. If you’re not constrained by the school holidays Fall is fabulous in Orlando. You know there is – it’s a little bit less crowded, the weather from our standpoint is milder so it’s in your 70s and your 80s as opposed to higher. So that is – it really depends on what you’re looking for. If you’re looking for the holiday shopping you can come in the early December time-frame and get all the lights, all of that. You know after the first of the year – depending on really what you’re looking for. But you know some of us said if you have children you come during the school holidays, if you don’t have children you know we’re recommend the shoulder periods because it’s fantastic

F: But some people do get half terms that are quite lengthy these days

H: Yes exactly, especially the private schools have longer half terms

F: Yes exactly so that’s a perfect time in fact to make the most of those half terms

H:And you are going a long way really, it is quite a long way so it is better to try and go for longer than a week, would you say?

D: Absolutely, I mean once you’re over there, you know first of all a whole world’s going to open up to you, you’re going to be wanting to do more and more and more, but once you’re over there you might as well stay for a long time and in fact we would say it takes 67 days to see everything in Orlando, so if they’d like to book for 67 days we’d be very happy to have them

F: I don’t think even the school holidays are that long!

H: Well it sounds fantastic doesn’t it, we all want to come and live there I think. Look Frances and Danielle thanks so much for coming in and talking to us about it, you’ve really whetted our appetite, and the nights are drawing in aren’t they, the kids are back at school, the weather’s getting a little bit colder. If you’re thinking about booking your holiday for next year or even this year then why not think about Orlando. And if you want to go and find out more information you can go to the website which is visitorlando.com/uk. Well good luck and happy holidays. We’ll see you next time on the Travel Show. Bye bye

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