Denise Graham, Account Manager, Experience Kissimmee

There’s nothing like a long, Canadian winter to make you start planning a Kissimmee getaway. Though most Canadians come for the sunny weather and theme parks, this Florida hotspot offers much more for all ages, making it a true year-round getaway. In this week’s edition of Take Five, we sat down with Denise Graham, Account Manager, Experience Kissimmee c/o VoX International Inc., and asked her why book Kissimmee in 2020, and how the destination plans on staying visible in the Canadian market.

1. What would you say are the top 3 selling points of Kissimmee?

• Kissimmee is the Vacation Home Capital of the World, with more than 70,000 accommodation options, including luxury resorts, family-friendly hotels, and over 50,000 vacation homes to choose from ranging from 1-2 bedroom condos to 15 bedroom mansions.

• Location is also one of Kissimmee’s greatest advantages with easy access to Orlando MCO airport in just 25 minutes and Central Florida’s world famous theme parks minutes away.

• Kissimmee offers accommodation to suit every style, from value properties, mid-priced branded hotels, suite-style properties, luxury resort to again the vacation home product, the accommodation selection is simply unrivalled.

2. When would be the best time for travellers to visit Kissimmee, and why?

Kissimmee is truly a year round destination. January, post-Easter until the end of May, last week of August until mid-November are typically quieter times when theme parks are known to be a little less busy.

3. How important is the Canadian market? And what Canadian-specific offers are you pushing in 2020?

Canada is the #1 International market for Kissimmee and we do not take that for granted. We continue to promote the destination year round, primarily through our tour operator and OTA partners to ensure our positioning is strong & that we remain at #1.

We rely on our Tour Operator partners to negotiate special Canadian resident promotions and offers with the local partners to assist in stimulating sales into the destination as well as enhancing our brand awareness both B2B & B2C.

4. What is one big misconception people have about Kissimmee?

One of the biggest misconceptions is that besides the World Famous Theme Parks, that there is not much else to do in Kissimmee. However, Kissimmee offers a wide variety of attractions beyond the parks to choose from including the many eco-adventures on its doorstep such as zip lining, tree trekking, air boat rides through the Florida everglades, along with an impressive plethora of golfing options (22 x 18 hole courses to be exact!) and more all within easy reach. Just one step further and you’ll also find sandy beaches, the Kennedy Space Center and more attractions all within an hour’s drive from Kissimmee.

5. How do you plan on working with Canadian travel agents this year?

We are excited to be participating once again in a number of upcoming product launches throughout Canada this year with various Tour Operator partners. This year, our plan is to also enhance our presence by inviting local partners from theme parks and hotels to join us. A wonderful opportunity for agents to network with some of our top local partners. We also recently completed a road show in Montreal which was a huge success. I’m always just a phone call or email away.