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Orlando is a place that HAS tourism but is consisted mainly of theme parks in its suburban areas. Las Vegas on the other-hand is literally built around its tourism.
Orlando doesn't really have a theme outside of its tourist district, which is kind of at the far extremity of the MSA.
This is Orlando's appeal to me. They have a huge tourist industry. But once you're north of the FL Turnpike, you are in a really nice sunbelt city with the tourist areas at arm's length.
Orlando is a place that HAS tourism but is consisted mainly of theme parks in its suburban areas. Las Vegas on the other-hand is literally built around its tourism.
I do see your point, but don't you think there is a good chance Orlando would have remained a sleepy, small southern city without it being "anointed" by Walt Disney?
My guess is that Miami, Jacksonville, Tampa (all coastal) would be larger by far. Orlando, I would think, might have been in the population range of places like Gainesville or Talahassee.
Is the reason why Las Vegas has better theming than Orlando be that it can afford it? I would think that the money spent by the average individual going on a pleasure trip to Las Vegas for gaming/entertainment is far greater than what is spent on the average Orlando visitor who is there to go to themed parks.
Is the reason why Las Vegas has better theming than Orlando be that it can afford it? I would think that the money spent by the average individual going on a pleasure trip to Las Vegas for gaming/entertainment is far greater than what is spent on the average Orlando visitor who is there to go to themed parks.
Have you seen Disney's ticket prices lately? I think it's a wash TBH once you factor in admission to the theme parks for an entire family not to mention food, hotel accommodations, and maybe a rental car.
If it weren't for Walt opening WDW in Orlando, it wouldn't be nearly as large of a city that it is now. I think it would be larger than Gainesville due to the presence of the aerospace industry (which made inroads into the area before Disney did) and its proximity to the Space Coast, but not by much. It would probably be the size of present-day Huntsville, Alabama Metropolitan Area - another smaller city that grew suddenly due to the proximity of the Space Program and military there.
As for this, Vegas, no question. Once you get away from the theme parks in Orlando, it's a pretty regular sunbelt city, especially as you get north of the Florida's Turnpike/International Drive area. Gambling is pretty pervasive not only along the Strip/Downtown, but casinos are all over the Las Vegas Valley and there are slot machines in the grocery stores too. You know what Vegas is all about no matter where you are in the area. Tourist traps tend to be a lot more spread around too - Central Florida's are mostly between the FLTPK and US 192, give or take a few miles.
Vegas. The tourist area is literally the center of the city/metro. You can see the strip/skyline from almost anywhere in the city/suburbs which would be like being able to see I-Drive or WDW from anywhere in our metro.
The theming of Vegas is casino while Orlando is theme park. So unless you're actually walking through one of our parks there is little to no cohesive theming to speak of.
Quote:
Originally Posted by edsg25
Is the reason why Las Vegas has better theming than Orlando be that it can afford it? I would think that the money spent by the average individual going on a pleasure trip to Las Vegas for gaming/entertainment is far greater than what is spent on the average Orlando visitor who is there to go to themed parks.
Bwahahaha. Have you looked at the cost of park admission and lodging for a family of 4 at WDW?? It's not even close. Orlando is a significantly more dominant destination than Vegas, and we're also a much more "normal" and well rounded metro area.
p.s. I'm sure our tourist tax funds could easily pay for "better theming", but instead we use it to invest in things that benefit locals.
I think New Orleans probably would be a better matchup against Vegas here.
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. Have you looked at the cost of park admission and lodging for a family of 4 at WDW?? It's not even close. Orlando is a significantly more dominant destination than Vegas, and we're also a much more "normal" and well rounded metro area. 
