ORLANDO, Fla. — The baggage area of the Orlando International Airport was relatively quiet Tuesday, but still filled with the familiar sights of mouse ears and polka dots.
Off to the side, Kristy Monroe and Julie Muniz sat in matching “Jaws” t-shirts, practically bouncing out of their seats.
“I’m so excited,” Monroe said. “I got up at four this morning.”
Monroe and Muniz are part of Orlando’s newest class of tourists: Epic Universe visitors.
The giant new park, the first in 25 years for Central Florida, will be a $2 billion shot in the arm for the already-thriving tourism industry.
Epic alone is expected to generate 14,000 theme park jobs and $300 million in revenue in its first year. There will also be ripple effects from the support services like truck drivers that Universal’s estimates don’t include.
While some observers fantasize about a theme park titan clash, UCF economist Sean Snaith says it’s a “rising tide lifts all boats” situation, echoing history when Disney famously welcomed Universal Studios to Orlando.
“I think the pie is getting larger, as opposed to Universal’s slice getting larger,” Snaith said. “I think these places offer different experiences, right?”
Business leaders said they’re expecting a record summer, with full hotel rooms, while Snaith predicted another round of development in the tourism district in the years ahead.
“There was that land wasn’t really generating much property revenue, and we still don’t know how that developments can unfold over the years and decades ahead on Kirkman,” he said. “It will be a catalyst for growth in that area.”
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