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TAMPA BAY

FAST FACTS & ACCOLADES

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:

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DEMOGRAPHICS

family walking out of the gates at Jose Marti Park

  • The Tampa Bay region is home to 3 million people – among the Top 20 MSAs in the nation
  • Tampa Bay is the 12th largest media market
  • Hillsborough County: 1,048 square miles of land, 24 square miles of inland water
  • Three incorporated cities: Tampa (398,000 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  

Tampa International Airport food court Ulele

  • #2 Large Airport in North America for Traveler Satisfaction - JD Power
  • 24 airlines
  • International: Aeromexico, Air Canada, Air Transat (seasonal), British Airways, Cayman Airways, Copa Airlines, Discover Airlines, Edelweiss Air, Lufthansa, 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.
  • 25.2 million passengers in 2024
  • 292 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
  • Phase 3 of TPA’s Master Plan enables further growth and calls for the construction of a new 16-gate terminal- Airside D. The $787 million project received approval from the Aviation Authority’s Board of Directors in September 2022. Construction is set to start in 2024 and take three years to complete. 

 

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)
  • Best Cities for Recreation, WalletHub, 2024

 

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)
  • Five cruise lines: Carnival, Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, Margaritaville at Sea, and Celebrity Cruises. Tampa Bay homeports 10 vessels from the five cruise lines, offering a variety of 4 to 14-day cruise itineraries.Port Tampa Bay the best cruise destination in the world, Cruise Hive, 2024

 

Transportation

TECO Streetcar in Ybor by Jose Marti Park

  • TECO Historic Streetcar runs between downtown and Ybor City district
  • Pirate Water Taxi operates on the Hillsborough River & Tampa Bay
  • DASH, a fleet of 100% electric cars stationed at 20 hubs across 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 Sun – Professional Women’s Soccer
  • 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
  • NCAA Women’s Final Four, 2019, 2025
  • NCAA Men's Frozen Four 2023
  • Valspar Championship
  • Home of WrestleMania 2021

 

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

 

Education

The University of Tampa

  • Hillsborough County, 7th largest school district in the nation and the region's largest employer
  • The University of South Florida (USF) is one of the largest public universities in Florida and offers a highly ranked MBA program, with its online MBA ranking No. 16 nationwide and second in Florida
  • University of Tampa is a private, liberal arts college popular with students from the Northeast U.S.

 

Major Attractions & Venues

Busch Gardens® Tampa Bay Shiekra

  • Adventure Island
  • Amalie Arena
  • Armature Works
  • Bay Rocket
  • Busch Gardens® Tampa Bay
  • Columbia Restaurant
  • Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park
  • Dinosaur World
  • The Florida Aquarium
  • George M. Steinbrenner Field
  • Glazer Children's Museum
  • Henry B. Plant Museum
  • J.C. Newman Cigar Co.
  • MOSI (Museum of Science & Industry)
  • Raymond James Stadium
  • Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
  • Sparkman Wharf
  • Straz Center for the Performing Arts
  • Tampa Convention Center
  • Tampa Bay History Center
  • Tampa Museum of Art
  • Tampa Riverwalk
  • Tampa Theatre
  • Topgolf
  • Ybor City (Historic District)
  • Ybor City Museum State Park
  • ZooTampa at Lowry Park

 

Major Events & Festivals

The Gasparilla Music Festival stage glowing orange from stage lights.

January

  • ReliaQuest Bowl
  • MLK Day Parade
  • 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
  • Viva Tampa Hispanic Heritage Festival

March

  • Gasparilla Festival of Arts 
  • Gasparilla Music Festival
  • Tampa Bay Beer Week 
  • St. Patrick’s Day Parade & River O’ Green
  • Gasparilla International Film Festival 
  • Busch Gardens® Tampa Bay Food & Wine Festival  
  • Apollo Beach Manatee & Arts Festival 
  • National Cuban Sandwich Festival
  • Tampa Pride 
  • Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Festival
  • Tampa Bay Air Fest

April

  • Bern’s Winefest 
  • RiverFest
  • Tampa Bay International Dragon Boat Races
  • Tampa Bay Caribbean Carnival
  • Tampa Bay Food & Wine Festival

 

May

  • Brews With Attitude
  • Cuban Cultural Fest

June

  • Busch Gardens® Tampa Bay Summer Nights
  • Adventure Island Island Nights
  • Juneteenth Festival

July

  • Freedom Fest
  • Tampa Bay Comic Con 

August / September

  • Tampa Bay Boat Show
  • Tampa Bay MegaCon

October

  • NSRA Southeast Street Rod Nationals 
  • Brews by the Bay
  • Oktoberfest Tampa
  • Tampa Pig Jig
  • Creatures of the Night at ZooTampa
  • Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens® Tampa Bay 

November  

  • Ruskin Seafood & Arts Festival 
  • Ford Taste of Latino Festival
  • India Festival Tampa Bay
  • Tampa Greek Festival

December

  • Busch Gardens® Tampa Bay Christmas Town
  • ZooTampa Christmas in the Wild
  • Winter Village
  • Gasparilla Bowl  
  • Victorian Christmas Stroll
  • Ybor City Cigar Festival

 

 

 

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