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Visit Tampa Bay reports strong midyear growth: occupancy, hotel taxable revenue and economic impact up sharply
Summary
Visit Tampa Bay presented midyear performance to the Tourist Development Council, reporting year‑to‑date revenue about 17% above prior year, six consecutive months of hotel taxable revenue over $100 million and a new economic impact study showing more than $9.4 billion in county visitor spending for 2024.
Visit Tampa Bay’s executive staff reported robust midyear tourism performance to the Hillsborough County Tourist Development Council on May 15, citing strong occupancy, higher average daily rates and rising hotel taxable revenue.
Santiago (Visit Tampa Bay) said year‑to‑date tourist development revenue was running roughly 17% above the prior year and noted April’s collections were up 3.9% compared with the same month last year. He also said the county has about “a little over 26,000 hotel rooms” and that hotel taxable revenue for the fiscal year so far exceeded $700,000,000 across seven months of the fiscal year.
Santiago summarized an economic impact study for 2024, saying the county drew “over 28,000,000 visitors to Hillsborough County with a total economic impact of over $9,400,000,000” and that tourism supported roughly 61,000 jobs and generated more than $683,000,000 in state and local taxes. Santiago said the organization now uses aggregated credit‑card and mobile data and third‑party analytics to measure spending and economic impact beyond room nights.
Rob Higgins of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission also presented data on tournament facilities: he noted the county’s tournament sportsplex outperformed its feasibility projections, hosting 161 events (vs. 150 projected) and generating roughly 218,327 hotel visitor room nights in its first five years, a 44% increase over the consultant’s earlier estimate. Higgins said consultants project the proposed indoor sportsplex could host about 69 events and generate approximately 81,000 room nights.
Visit Tampa Bay highlighted ongoing marketing activity — domestic and international trade shows, museum and cultural marketing cooperatives, and partnership activations — and noted a pipeline of booked groups with estimated future economic impact. The council accepted the quarterly activity report by unanimous voice vote.
Council members used the presentation to press for coordination with hotels and regional partners as new facilities and events come online to ensure the county can accommodate growth and capture visitor spending.
