ORLANDO—Orlando has become the first destination to produce a comprehensive sustainability report focused on the visitor experience. The goal of the report is to tell the sustainability journey of Orlando, allowing it to chronicle progress toward the goal of becoming one of the world’s leading sustainable destinations. The Orlando Destination Sustainability Report is a pillar program of Green Destination Orlando (GDO), and a co-production between GDO, Greenview and the University of Central Florida’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management, along with community volunteers.
The report shares Orlando’s vision where visitors have a total sustainable experience, beginning the moment they plan their visit, to arrival in Orlando, to their stay at local lodging, to their daily activities, and all the way back home. Through this lens of a complete loop, the report describes the destination-wide programs and performance across various components of the visitor experience, covering key issues such as green buildings, transportation, food systems, solid waste, water, energy, natural resources, and many others. Intended as an annual exercise, GDO has outlined specific goals and put in place tracking mechanisms to facilitate reporting in future years.
The report also describes the innovative model of GDO, a grass-roots organization created to provide a forum for collaboration across the entire destination. GDO’s membership includes representatives from over 50 organizations such as the Orlando International Airport, Universal Studios, Hilton Orlando, Orange County, City of Orlando, Rosen Hotels, Visit Orlando, Central Florida Hotel & Lodging Association, and many others.
In 2013, more than 57 million people visited the Orlando area, making it one of the most visited destinations in the world and providing a unique opportunity for Orlando to incubate sustainability initiatives such as the Drive Electric Orlando program, where visitors can rent an electric car supported by over 350 charging stations throughout the Orlando area. GDO’s efforts to catalyze these initiatives and build awareness across Central Florida are demonstrated through the first-ever destination sustainability report, available for download by clicking here.
