Orlando’s ad blitz aims to lure tourists back to Central Florida

ORLANDO, Fla. – Central Florida’s biggest industry is shelling out millions of dollars to bring tourists and their money back to the region.

Hundreds of hotels, retailers and restaurants will offer deals for Americans and international travelers.

A new $10 million television and print ad campaign will launch in the coming months to lure more people to Central Florida.

The Orlando International Airprort set a record in 2009 with nearly 3 million international passengers.

Tourist tax collections were up .03 percent in December for the first time in 17 months and convention booking were up nearly 4 percent.

Tourists are already happy with some of the deals Central Florida has to offer.

“We wanted to take this little guy with us to Disney and we went to Sea World yesterday,” Connie Vandervelde said.

Local tourism is banking Universal’s reputed $100 million marketing campaign surrounding the opening of its new Wizarding World of Happry Potter at Island of Adventure.

“Our proximity to Harry Potter will put us in a position to really take advantage of that,” Ron Caimano of Embassy Suites said.