Orlando: 'Blacklisted' for gov't meetings?

ORLANDO, Fla., June 17 (UPI) -- U.S. tourism officials say they believe Orlando, Fla., has been secretly blacklisted as a federal government meeting destination.

Their theory is based on the city's reputation for "sun 'n' fun" -- home to Disney World and many other leisure attractions -- and holding official meetings there might be seen as having too much of a good time at the taxpayers' expense, The Orlando Sentinel reported Wednesday.

"We've heard from individuals within government agencies that this unwritten list exists," Geoff Freeman, senior vice president of the U.S. Travel Association, told the newspaper.

"Right now, I'm working on trying to find the facts that could back up what we feel is happening," added Gary Sain of the Orlando/Orange County Convention and Visitors Bureau. "We're sort of fighting this ghost that we know exists because we have seen or heard it."

Sain told the Sentinel Orange County is likely battling a U.S. government perception "you cannot have a serious meeting in a destination like Orlando."

The bureau has estimated convention business in Orlando will likely plunge 16.2 percent this year, the newspaper said.