ORLANDO, Fla. — Travel agencies across central Florida are buzzing with excitement ahead of Epic Universe’s grand opening.
“Every day I was driving, and I was seeing every little piece building up,” said Fabiana Tourinho, founder of Orlando travel agency Kaluah Tourism. “We’re celebrating 25 years of business in Orlando, so I am the one who saw everything since the beginning. To me it’s like seeing my kid growing up.”
Epic Universe, the first major theme park to open in central Florida in more than 25 years, is already a major hit among her clients, who come mostly from South America.
“We cannot promote in a lot in advance, otherwise we’re going to hold sales, so we had to keep quiet,” she said. “Otherwise people would hold the trip until the park was open to be able to come.”
Thousands upon thousands will be hitting the roads and airports, headed to central Florida. The massive new park, featuring five complete different worlds, is officially opening its doors Thursday.
“Everybody is asking every year - what’s new in Orlando? - because they want to come, they want to shop, they want to go to the parks,” Tourinho said. “When you have something big like that, everyone wants to come and see.”
Tourinho’s agency has booked twice the number of visitors for this summer compared to last year, she said. Some of her clients have seen a three-month waitlist to get to some of the hotels here at the park.
“I think it’s the start of a new era,” she said.
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