HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — For the first time ever in 2022, Hillsborough County’s hotel industry brought in just over a billion dollars in taxable revenue. That’s a 43% increase from 2021 and more than double the revenue from 2020. Visit Tampa Bay said it hit its 'Billion-Bound by 2025' goal two years earlier than planned, despite the pandemic.
“We've been on a record-setting pace for 21 months," Santiago Corrada, President and CEO of Visit Tampa Bay, said. "Anytime we have visitors in town, there's a huge effect on the local economy. We're talking about food and beverage, entertainment, transportation, sales tax, our education tax."
Corrada said while events like the Superbowl, Wrestlemania and even conventions relocating from other parts of the country helped business during the pandemic, Hillsborough County is already on track for yet another record-breaking year.
"We're seeing heavy traffic on weekends compared to, definitely, during covid, but, even pre-covid, we're steadily increasing," Audrey Greminger, the Director of Sales for the Epicurean Hotel in Tampa, said.
Greminger said inside; people fill the lobby, restaurant and bars. Outside, new projects just show signs of business on the rise.
"The benefit for the hotel is the same benefit for the staff. So, more money for the hotel is more money in their pockets," Greminger added.
That's true for newer establishments like True Food Kitchen in Midtown.
"Everybody that works here, you know, they appreciate being busy. It's a lot easier when you come to work and the sales are there and the tips are there, everybody is making a living wage," General Manager, Matt Largent, said.
Largent said the location is money which is something Corrada told ABC Action News private investment groups helped grow.
"Being here first and having your spot right next to the lawn, we have prime real estate. It's a good spot for us to be," Largent added.
Corrada said the evolution of local attractions like Water Street is putting Tampa Bay on the map. He said revenue for the month of January was already greater than the average in 2022.
"This year, to me, looks like it will be better than last year, which is saying a lot because last year was unprecedented," Corrada explained.
