European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 4, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse Ido Flag in i in Central Florida Al is Ila ears would 9 York id its Ion now Aiea. I Skyline hard in ago. I both the up to was Ling 9 caplets wardens Al rooms ,1 Enton kor slays Tan Bird ish under. In Pool. 11.500 a Ingle and riles and a per grounds i. It s a. Tourists world the Long established attractions such As Cypress gardens Bok Tower and Gator land were spruced up and enlarged. The newest major amusement Park Boardwalk and baseball features six playing Fields Balling cages Lor the kids an old fashioned wooden roller coaster 31 other thrill rides and the Boardwalk itself ii wit become the Spring training ground Lor the Kansas City royals. There Are dog races helicopter rides hot air balloons scuba lessons magicians the world s largest Lea Maykel riverboat trips a View of 17 million Citrus Trees from a of a lower an Elvis Presley museum jobs log. Glass Bollom boats and 5.000 alligators at one location. Industry followed the amusement Parks some inspired by Disney some by nearby Cape canaveral some by Orlando s Sun Belt ambience. Thu us. Navy has its second largest boo Camp Here graduating 500 to 600 Young men and women a week. A Mew York City psychiatrist recently told Forbes Magazine that Orlando was the Best place in the country for marriages to survive. Civic Pride is such that they snarled calling the Cal yuppies Puppos of for Orlando. One Hollier predicts that by 1990 Orlando Wilt be the largest convention Center in the United Stales. Be York with 90,000 hotel rooms now leads the list and los Angeles is Only slightly ahead of Orlando. And As the building continues the Louril Industry appears in worried that Orlando might reach the saturation Point. Overbuilt is an overused word skills Alan d Zurilla. Director of marketing for the Shoufler Orlando resort the Hole Wilh the $800.000 Bird Cage and pricey Carp. It s used mostly by pessimistic Orlando has a Latty Side the topless bars and adult bookstores along Orange Blossom Trail and the Las vegas Stylo Neon Glitz along incr National drive Home of fast food franchises hotels Gas stations factory Oullet stores and one of the two enormous Shell world stores. There is one tourist attraction whose chief claim to Fame in a reputed retired cheetah from a Tarzan movie. But most of the inferior attractions have not survived. A Wax museum went under As did Bible world and Hurricane world. Ono project which was to be called Little England was simply abandoned Midway through construction and the shells of the attraction still stand. But the British entrepreneur made his Money Back and More by simply Selling the land Disney set � Standard and most of the other attractions have followed suit says Fred Corrigan of the convention Bureau. James Peeper executive director of the convention Bureau says that a Comer lot on International drive could cos i $250,000 to a $500,000 today when Disney bought up his 27,000 acres in the same general area. He averaged $188 an acre mostly Lor poof land that would t support Orange Groves or cattle. In 19b6 four years ahead of earlier proc actions. 12 3 million passengers passed through Orlando inner National . Wilh us monorails capable of fans polling 4.000 people an hour. A $300 million expanse now under Way will mate it one of the largest airports m the country it now ranks 22nd Disney world Hsueh continues to expand a 900-room Victoran style luxury hotel to be called the grand wll be marketed like a cruise ship when it opens a june 19b8 one Al inclusive Price for the week there Are already 5.600 hold rooms on Disney also potting a typhoon Lagoon me latest a working movie studio where Ealero films and be Levision shows will be produced will be another Iheme Park where Vasilois can gel involved in gunfights and Chase scenes. They will also a. 3 Chance to Walch Disney Ani Galois and the p of Duclion of a television news show a game Sho. And a sitcom for something More to do at night. Disney is constructing the six acre pleasure Island where there will be disco and roller skaling dancing and country Western music the hoteliers arc All watching Disney closely. The Rumor is that Disney is also planning 20,000 to 35.000 Low Cost hotel units somewhere on its vast grounds Disney is Iho area s single largest employer with a staff of 17,000 to 21,000. Depending on the season. That includes nearly 1.000 gardeners some 250 musicians and 75 people who dress up in costumes As Mickey mouse and other characters to sign autographs and pose Wilh the kids the second largest employer is Martin Marietta an aerospace f m that opened in 1958 and employs some 12,000. Wilh the influx of new people came an increase in crime but Joe Milliga press Secretary to Orlando mayor Bill Fredericks says that increase has not been As significant in Orlando As in other Florida cities such As Miami one of the reasons he says is that Orlando organized neighbourhood crime watches and opened Lull service shelters to care for jobless people who arrived in Orlando thinking the streets were paved Wilh Gold. There Are those of course who complain about the enormous influence Disney has As witnessed by a recent article in Florida trend Magazine entitled a s not easy living Wilh the one of the big complaints is the traffic snarls. Peeper has no complaints. I Don t find in very Tough to live Wilh Mickey he says he pays a lot of Bills. The biggest political Issue in this town is traffic and they Don t even know what traffic a Disney spokesman there from the beginning recalls an executive of Martin Marietta greeting him with a Welcome and then adding i m glad you Guys Are in Lown now. You la gel blamed 01 All the trafic " they did and do Disney folic Las also Drew some Flack Over a proposal to link Iho by Monorail to the entertainment Complex including Soma terminals on Disney properly Disney of Licals say no one Ever convinced them Hal he Monorail made Good economic sense. Critics of Disney say the plan ailed because Disney did t Back it. Martin Hunter general manager of the Gateway inn and presiden of the greater Orlando hold and Motel association says Many hoteliers complain thai Disney officials keep the Lown in the dark about what they Are planning next. Mittiga concedes Hal has been Ime in the past but Disney people Are much More open now Edward Pfizer publisher of Orlando Magazine says there is More in the future for Central Florida than us tourism. We Are nol going to become totally resort Onon led like Prizer says. People Are going to come Here to see the world of the Buluro there Are 28 laser optics firms Here Ete Ciro optics will be As great an invention As the invention of elect idly itself. The laser boys Are Here just like the computer kids were out in Silicon Valley this is a magic Triangle irom Cape canaveral to Melbourne to Orlando. This Triangle will become ground base for the exploration and exploitation of space. Ii will be like London was when it was the Basr or the colonization of is he serious satellite lug companies space factories space farms Prizer smiles but he s serious. No. We re not there yet he says Bui we Aie Al the Christopher Columbus some of in water Parks in jury 4,1987 at the it Etc kingdom to gun or twang Tou Ritu to Rotindo. Other attraction on of including sea Worta. The stars and stripes Page 15
