In my mind right or wrong, Orlando has always been known for two things – oranges and theme parks, especially Walt Disney World, which kicked it all off in 1965 and changed the course of the entire region’s future forever. Without Mickey Mouse, I’m sure the central Florida city would not be attracting as much attention and the 62 million tourists in 2014 that it does now.
Recently, I’ve been learning some interesting facts about the City Beautiful: It has the largest Puerto Rican population in the state, much like South Florida can say it houses the most Cubans. It’s home to the largest restaurant operator in the world, Darden Restaurants. And it’s a major industrial and high-tech center as well, with a diverse collection of defense, entertainment and technology companies.
But none of these industries come close to tourism. Nothing has shaped Orlando’s development more than the leisure business, and specifically LGBT leisure.
One of the most popular and controversial events each year is Gay Days, which draws thousands of gay men to the resort for several days of frolicking, fun and festivities. Although some groups have felt that the event detracts or even undermines the wholesome, family image that Disney has worked obsessively to build, Gay Days nonetheless is a smashing success in terms of its commercial appeal, longevity and revenue generation.
Now comes a second push, a wave of self-promotion led by three recent developments seeking to build on historical momentum:
The first development is marriage equality, which arrived in Florida earlier this year. While people have always wanted to get married in a warm, sunny climate or near a popular travel destination, local event planners say they are seeing a range of local businesses upping their game, from caterers and photographers to florists and DJs as the market evolves. Having attended a mass wedding on Jan. 6 officiated by Mayor Buddy Dyer on the steps of city hall, I’d say you would be hard pressed to find a more gay-friendly mayor.
Second, Visit Orlando, the region’s visitor’s bureau is not taking its slice of $30 billion in travel commerce for granted, much of it coming from LGBT tourists. So who did they partner with? The answer: Lance Bass, who is probably the most recognized face after Justin Timberlake from the popular 1990s boy band, NSYNC. Bass is from the Orlando area and has his own radio show on Sirius/XM Satellite. The radio network has more than 22 million subscribers, so it will be interesting to see if this kind of niche advertising produces any quantifiable results.
Lastly, on the heels of Walt Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm Ltd. in 2012, the studio giant has plans to expand the world-renowned Star Wars franchise ahead of this December’s theatrical release of Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, the franchise’s seventh film and the first in 10 years–as if the Indiana Jones and Marvel Comics franchises weren’t enough to lock up the lucrative action/adventure market for teen minds. On top of this, Disney is rolling out new Star Wars attractions at its theme parks in California and Florida. Expectations are that any new rides are likely to land here, at Hollywood Studios, home of the increasingly popular Star Wars Weekends. If you are a young American male (or female), gay or straight, it’s becoming clearly impossible to grow up in the United States, or in Europe and Asia for that matter, and not be socialized to some extent by the creativity and imagination of the Magic Kingdom.
All of this is not to say, however, that the Orlando environment is as perfect as Snow White’s castle. Far from it.
A few months ago, Orlando police arrested two suspects after releasing a video of a gay man being beaten by a group of people in Parramore. According to police, the victim left his house on the evening of Mar. 26 when a number of black males approached him, started kicking and punching him before fleeing with his wallet and mobile phone. The attack led to the arrest of Deandre Florence, 14, and Dennis Florence, 16.
But having said this, Orlando appears to be at the vortex of emerging and ongoing trends that aren’t going away anytime soon. In fact, there’s a new All Aboard Florida passenger train system being built that will make it even easier for LGBT travelers from Key West, Miami Beach, greater Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach to visit without having to drive. And vice versa.
The only thing Orlando lacks at this point are fabulous sandy beaches, but as we become more aware of possible sea-level rise, whatever the cause, I bet that disadvantage will slowly recede.
