TOURISM NUMBERS

EVENTS, ATTENDANCE PUSH HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY TOURISM TO NEW APRIL MILESTONE 

BTS Shows, Premier League Fan Festival Top Event
List Contributing to $121 Million in Hotel Revenue 

Tampa, FL (June 9, 2026) – An unprecedented slate of high-profile events combined with ongoing destination marketing and sales efforts pushed Hillsborough County tourism to a new benchmark for the month of April for both taxable hotel revenue – $121,458,282 – and hotel bed taxes collected – $7,281,737. 

April’s top-marks were garnered after over 250,000 people attended a wide range of large events throughout the month, culminating in K-Pop super group BTS performing in front of more than 190,000 fans during three sold-out shows at Raymond James Stadium April 25, 26, and 28. Hotel occupancy for the three nights of the show averaged over 89%, a 28% increase above average occupancy, with two of the nights exceeding 94%.  

“If you just look at the positive financial results, Tampa Bay’s April revenue numbers alone would be impressive enough,” said Santiago C. Corrada, President and CEO of Visit Tampa Bay. “However, what sets April’s performance apart goes beyond hotel dollars. The sheer number and variety of events that Team Tampa Bay – Hillsborough County, Tampa Bay Sports Commission, TSA, the cities, our more than 1,000 partners, and nearly 62,000 hospitality workers – had to plan and execute nearly simultaneously, and the high crowd volume those events drew makes April one of the most successful months we’ve ever seen.”  

Tampa Bay’s reputation as a host city of choice for conventions and high-profile events is not an accident, but a result of consistent strategic investment in time, money, and relationship building by the entire Tampa Bay hospitality ecosystem to market Tampa Bay as a premier destination. Visit Tampa Bay’s recent winter “Go and You’ll Know” campaign is just one example of the research-based strategic marketing campaign used to target Visit Tampa Bay’s largest and highest-value feeder markets, including New York, Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and Boston. International efforts include Canada, with lower-funnel messaging to capture travelers already shopping Florida destinations, as well as the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil. 

Corrada said April’s results are a snapshot of the positive impact that type of promotion has on Tampa’s hospitality industry, a vital pillar of Hillsborough County’s economy. He pointed to a recently released report by industry expert Tourism Economics that found that in 2025, tourism generated $6 billion in direct visitor spending, a total financial impact of $9.5 billion, and $691 million in state and local taxes – almost $1,200 per resident – to help fund essential services and enhance quality of life. 

“Sustained investment has resulted in Hillsborough County having the privilege of hosting some of the biggest events imaginable, including Super Bowls and Taylor Swift performances,” emphasized Corrada. “April was really unique because rarely has Tampa Bay hosted this many high-profile, highly attended events in such quick succession. Attracting concerts, sporting events, festivals, and the visitors that attend them doesn’t happen without promoting the destination and all it has to offer.” 

The BTS performances generated an uptick of 33% in spending in close proximity to Raymond James Stadium. Overall, concertgoers generated an over 40% lift in total visitor spend county-wide spread across food and beverage at local restaurants like Willa’s, shopping at International Plaza, and attractions like the Florida Aquarium. During that period, the Average Daily Rate for hotel rooms across Hillsborough County increased 27% to $232 during the period with Revenue Per Available Room rising 58% to $207. 

The K-Pop shows came a week after the two-day Premier League Mornings Live Fan Festival at Armature Works April 18-19 which drew a weekend crowd of more than 15,000 attendees, generating an increase in spending of 56% and a 419% lift in international visitors in close-proximity to the venue.  

The Fan Festival occurred the same weekend as Breakaway Music Festival Tampa which drew in excess of 24,000 festivalgoers. Together, those two events generated an average hotel occupancy of 83%, a 32% increase above the county’s average, with one the nights exceeding 92%. The Average Daily Rate for hotel rooms across Hillsborough County during the period increased 20% to $199 during the period with Revenue Per Available Room seeing a 56% rise to $165. 

Tampa Bay also saw nearly 40 meetings and conventions in April, including four citywide gatherings – ExhibitorLive, IUCX Conference 2026, National Association of Plan Advisors Summit, and Varsity Spirit – attracting tens of thousands of meeting attendees resulting in more than 30,000 hotel room nights booked and tens of millions in economic impact for the region.