Visit Orlando and the Orlando tourism community have celebrated a big moment. Universal’s Epic Universe officially opened on May 22, 2025, making this the first major new theme park in Florida in 25 years. There are 50 attractions across five immersive worlds, including Celestial Park, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, SUPER NINTENDO WORLD, How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk, and Dark Universe. The $7.7 billion park, which features advanced technology and interactive attractions based on popular franchises, aims to transform Universal Orlando into a weeklong vacation destination.

Destination DC announced gig news: The 2027 National Football League (NFL) draft is coming to Washington, DC. 🏈 President & CEO Elliott Ferguson said, “We are thrilled Washington DC has been chosen to host the 2027 NFL Draft. Kudos to the Destination DC team for working with the Mayor’s office and Events DC to bring a massive event that will generate excitement and economic impact to fruition – especially as the Washington Commanders prepare to return to the city!”

Visit Laredo Texas is now officially certified for accessibility through Wheel the World, becoming the first city in Texas to achieve this distinction after organizations and businesses across the city had worked to improve wheelchair accessibility and foster courtesy toward people with disabilities. Wheel the World is a website where people with disabilities can plan and prepare their trips to cities that are “destination verified” or compliant. Instead of facing challenges in an unfamiliar city, Wheel the World provides travelers with disabilities a detailed guide to businesses and attractions they can visit for a hassle-free experience.

Visit Mesa has launched its new digital Accessibility Travel Guide, a comprehensive resource on its website to support planning accessible, inclusive visits. As the first Autism Certified City in the world, this guide supports Mesa’s dedication to welcoming all visitors.

VisitErie in upstate New York has a new tagline: “Good Life, Great Lake.” Driven by research, an 18-month process was shaped by community and visitor input. VisitErie partnered with Red House Communications, agency of record, to develop the comprehensive brand identity. 

AND FROM CANADA:

Destination Toronto has a new brand anthem created in partnership with Toronto-based creative agency Lifelong Crush. “Toronto is all in, 100%. No apologies, no shortcuts—our answer to everything is 100%.” Paula Port, VP of Global Marketing said,

“U.S. fly market campaign is the biggest push. It launches May 27 in New York/ New Jersey, San Francisco/ San Jose, Chicago and Washington, DC. It’s a digitally-led campaign with a strong social presence across Meta, Reddit and Pinterest, and it includes a partnership with Air Canada to drive urgency through limited-time offers. It’s also supported through a broader co-operative initiative with Destination Canada, giving us even more visibility and impact across these priority markets, right at the moment people are making their summer travel decisions. Closer to home, we’re rolling out regionally starting June 2 as part of our summer co-op campaign. That includes Ontario, Quebec and U.S. border states, targeting both families and couples. It’s running across YouTube, Connected-TV (CTV), social, search and Google demand gen. There’s also a creator component on TikTok…”

Destination Ontario officially launched “We Stand” – a new domestic travel marketing campaign created with agency Broken Heart Love Affair featuring some of the province’s top artists, brewmasters, farmers, culinary artists and winemakers. It’s about the people, communities, and experiences that make Ontario one of a kind shared on television, digital billboards, cinemas, social media platforms, radio and digital audio channels. Minister for Tourism, Culture and Gaming Stan Cho said,

“The tourism sector is a cornerstone of our economy, supporting over 325,000 jobs and 92,000 businesses and contributing $32 billion to our GDP. In the face of tariff threats and continued economic uncertainty, this new campaign will encourage travel within our own borders and help protect our tourism sector, protect our workers, protect our businesses, and protect Ontario.”

Destination Québec cité has six local restaurants newly awarded seven Michelin stars in total, so the DMO has given seven symbolic names to stars in the sky to celebrate the first-ever selection for the MICHELIN Guide. The stars are positioned in the constellation of the Big Dipper (Ursa Major) — well known to  the general public and visible year-round from Québec City — as a subtle reference to cooking, since its French nickname translates to the ‘Big Saucepan.’ Québec City is the first Michelin destination to commit its stars to the sky. With this poetic — and  somewhat audacious — gesture, Destination Québec cité continues its mission to promote the  region as an essential gastronomic destination.

And lastly, in case you missed it…

Destinations International has released a new resource built to advance destination stewardship and sustainability:
Building A Common Language: Foundational Terms & Roles for Destination Stewardship & Sustainability in the Tourism Industry. What’s inside:

• A curated list of key sustainability terms tailored to destination management
• Sample job descriptions and structural recommendations for making sustainability everyone’s job