TAMPA BAY

FAST FACTS

Unlock Tampa Bay with the latest news from Florida’s most hip, authentic, and urban tourism destination. With new hotels, amazing dining and thrilling attractions, the treasures of Tampa Bay are yours to discover! For more information and photography:

DEMOGRAPHICS

Fireworks in Tampa

The Tampa Bay region is home to 3 million people – among the Top 20 MSAs in the nation
Tampa Bay is the 12^th largest media market
Hillsborough County: 1,048 square miles of land, 24 square miles of inland water
Three incorporated cities: Tampa (370,000 population), Temple Terrace, & Plant City
- Tampa is Florida’s 3rd-largest city
- 13% of Tampa Bay’s population has Cuban ancestry
Major unincorporated areas: Brandon, Ruskin, Apollo Beach

Tampa International Airport

#1 Large Airport in North America for Traveler Satisfaction - JD Power
24 airlines
International: British Airways, Cayman Airways, Copa Airlines, Edelweiss Air, Lufthansa, Air Canada, Air Transat (seasonal), Norwegian, Swoop, Delta (seasonal) from Amsterdam.
Domestic: Alaska Airlines, America Airlines, American Eagle (seasonal), Delta, Frontier, Jet Blue, Silver Airways, Southwest Airlines, Southern Airways Express, Spirit Airlines, Swift Air, Sun Country United Airlines, WestJet, United Airlines.
15.4 million passengers in 2021
421 daily flights to 90 non-stop destinations and 57 weekly departures to ten international cities, allowing easy connections to every major city in the world.
66 shops and restaurants
4 Airside terminals, each with their own security screening, shops, restaurants, and children’s play area
Major expansion completed in 2018 added 50,000 sf of retail, restaurants and a new rental car facility with SkyConnect train system.

Climate

kayaking on Hillsborough River

Summer – Avg temp: 83 degrees Fahrenheit (28 C) ∙ highs 91F (33C) /lows 75F (24C)
Winter – Avg temp: 62 degrees Fahrenheit (16C) ∙ highs 72F (22C)/lows 52F (11C)
Year-round average rainfall totals 53 inches (134 cm)

Port Tampa Bay

Port Tampa Bay Norwegian Dawn ship docked in Sparkman Wharf

Largest port in the southeast
Serves as a pleasure & industrial port (phosphate is main export; refined fuel major import)
Three cruise lines: Carnival, Norwegian Cruise Line & Royal Caribbean. Carnival and Royal Caribbean operate year-round and cruise regularly to Mexico, the Caribbean, and Florida Keys.

Transportation

TECO Streetcar in Ybor by Jose Marti Park

TECO Historic Streetcar (right) runs between downtown and Ybor City district
Pirate Water Taxi operates on the Hillsborough River & Tampa Bay
Downtowner, a system of free electric shuttles, offers a transportation alternative in downtown
Uber and Lyft provide ride-sharing services

Sports

Raymond James Stadium (Bucs)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Super Bowl LV Champions – Professional (American) Football
Tampa Bay Lightning, 2020 & 2021 Stanley Cup Champions – Professional Hockey
Tampa Bay Rays, 2020 East USL Champions – Professional Baseball
Tampa Bay Rowdies, 2020 League Championship Finalists – Professional Soccer
New York Yankees– Professional Baseball Spring Training
Tampa Tarpons – Class A Minor League Baseball
University of South Florida Bulls – College Athletics
Home of WrestleMania 2021

Business and Economy

Downtown Tampa Skyline at sunset

Regional hub for banking and finance as well as a national center for medical research
Home to about a fourth of all Florida-based private companies
State’s largest in-market labor force, with more than 2 million workers, and an unemployment rate of
- 3.6 percent for the four-county Tampa Bay MSA (March 2018)
Biggest industries: services, retail, government, finance/insurance/real estate, healthcare and manufacturing
MacDill Air Force Base is region’s second-largest employer.
Tampa’s median home list price is up 8.2% and has gained 47,000 residents since March 2020

MacDill Air Force Base

SOFIC air show helicopter demonstrating in downtown Tampa

Home to the 6th Air Mobility Wing
More than 15,000 military personnel
Hosts & provides direct support to U.S. Central Command, U.S. Special Operations Command & 39 other tenant units
$4.9 billion annual economic impact to the region

Visitor Economic Impact

Tampa Convention Center active convention goers in lobby

In 2018, 23.6 million people visited Tampa/Hillsborough County
Visitors’ expenditures totaled $6.6 billion
Tourism is the second-fastest growing local job sector
Tourism supports more than 53,000 local jobs and $2.4 billion in wages
Canada, England and Germany are the top international markets for Tampa Bay

Education

The University of Tampa

Hillsborough County, 8^th largest school district in the nation and the region’s largest employer
University of South Florida (USF) is the second largest public university system in Florida & the 18^th largest in the U.S. USF has one of the largest MBA programs in the Southeast
University of Tampa is a private, liberal arts college popular with students from the Northeast U.S.

Major Attractions & Venues

Iron Gwazi Busch Gardens

Adventure Island
Amalie Arena
Armature Works
Big Cat Rescue
Busch Gardens® Tampa Bay
Canoe Escape
Columbia Restaurant
Straz Center for the Performing Arts
Dinosaur World
The Florida Aquarium
Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park
Glazer Children's Museum
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Henry B. Plant Museum
MOSI (Museum of Science & Industry)
Raymond James Stadium
Tampa Convention Center
Tampa Bay History Center
Tampa Museum of Art
Tampa Riverwalk
Tampa Theatre
Ybor City (Entertainment District)
Ybor City State Museum
ZooTampa at Lowry Park

Major Events & Festivals

The Gasparilla Music Festival stage glowing orange from stage lights.

January

Outback Bowl
Black Heritage Festival
Gasparilla Children’s Parade & Piratechnic Extravaganza
Gasparilla Pirate Fest

February

Florida State Fair
Fiesta Day
Sant’Yago Illuminated Night Parade
Gasparilla Distance Classic
Florida Strawberry Festival
New York Yankees Spring Training
Bay Area Renaissance Festival
Black Heritage Festival

March

Gasparilla Festival of Arts
Gasparilla Music Festival
Tampa Bay Beer Week
St. Patrick’s Day
Gasparilla International Film Festival
Apollo Beach Manatee & Arts Festival
National Cuban Sandwich Festival
Tampa Pride

April

Bern’s Winefest
RiverFest
Asia Fest
Tampa Bay International Dragon Boat Races

May

Brews With Attitude
Cuban Cultural Fest
FamilyFest

June

Busch Gardens® Tampa Bay Summer Nights
Adventure Island Island Nights

July

Freedom Fest
Tampa Bay Comic Con

August / September

Tampa Bay Food & Wine Festival
Tampa Bay Boat Show
Tampa Bay MegaCon

October

NSRA Southeast Street Rod Nationals
Tampa Bay Gay & Lesbian International Film Festival
Brews by the Bay
Oktoberfest Tampa
Tampa Pig Jig
Creatures of the Night at ZooTampa
Ybor City March of the Pumpkin King
Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens® Tampa Bay

November

Ruskin Seafood & Arts Festival

December

Snow on 7th Holiday Parade
Victorian Christmas Stroll