“Thanks a lot.” Visit Orlando delivered this message in a big way to the record 68 million visitors to the theme park capital of the world by setting a Guinness World Record for number of hand-written thank you cards collected in one day. More than 900 representatives of the city’s 450 hotels and major attractions wrote 3,144 thank you cards in 24 hours as part of an ongoing #OrlandosBIGThankYou campaign.
The announcement was made as part of National Travel and Tourism Week on May 11 and reinforced the impact the industry has on the greater economy. Tourism supports one-third of all jobs in Orlando and added $109 billion to the economy in 2015, according to a report by Visit Florida.
At the record-celebrating festivities, Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs gave major kudos to the people in costume, behind the scenes and manning the check-in desks for making Florida one of the most popular destinations in the country. “What truly makes [visitors’] experience here better than any other community is our culture of hospitality combined with our front-line hospitality workers and welcoming residents.”
Other Guinness World Records of note:
- World’s tallest hotel is JW Marriott Marquis Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, stretching 1,165 feet over 77 floors. It has 1,608 rooms and 86,000 sq. ft. of event space, four presidential suites, 19 restaurants and a spa.
- Loudest crowd roar at a sports stadium was awarded to fans of the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in Missouri in 2014. The pandemonium clocked in at 142.2 dbA and occurred at the end of the first quarter. The Chiefs went on to defeat the New England Patriots 41-14.
- Largest gathering of Elvis impersonators went to Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort in North Carolina in 2014 after they gathered 895 versions of The King.
