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Record December Kicks Off Peak Season in Tampa Bay

January 13, 2022 by PR@VisitTampaBay.com

Record December Kicks Off Peak Season in Tampa Bay
Winter Village

Tampa, FL (Jan. 10, 2022) – Visit Tampa Bay continues setting benchmarks in tourist development collections announcing a historic high for December reaching $3.78 million for the month.

The results, which are based on November hotel stays and supported by industry analyst STR Inc., represent a 25.3% increase over the previous record for December collections, set in 2019. Taxable hotel revenues collected by the county for the month of November totaled $63.9 million.

Setting an incredibly strong November, Hillsborough County is tied for first in its competitive set for hotel occupancy. Hotel occupancy in November showed a strong averaging 67.6% and bringing in a record $63,945,854 in taxable hotel revenue.

“It’s an exciting time for Visit Tampa Bay as we continue setting new benchmarks in collections and hotel revenue.  December has become the beginning of Tampa Bay’s peak visitation months with hotel revenue more than doubling last year’s,” said Santiago C. Corrada, President and CEO of Visit Tampa Bay.

Tourist Development funds collected during the first three months of Visit Tampa Bay’s current fiscal year total $10,965,513, a 22.5% increase over the same three-month period the previous year. Both month and fiscal year-to-date collected amounts are records for their respective periods.

“The momentum into the new year continues to grow with annual events like the Outback Bowl, Gasparilla season, and large conventions including Florida Huddle and Florida Encounter, kicking off the year by bringing in tens of thousands of visitors into Hillsborough County,” Corrada said. “Our out-of-area advertising campaigns are also now in full swing in the Northeast, Midwest and U.K. markets.”

Tampa Bay is poised for an exciting year ahead as it welcomes back international visitors, transient business travelers, increased convention business, and new product offerings including hotels, restaurants and attractions.

 


ABOUT VISIT TAMPA BAY

The heart of Florida’s Gulf Coast beats in Tampa Bay. Visit Tampa Bay encourages adventurous travelers to unlock sun, fun and culture in Florida’s most diverse travel destination. As a not-for-profit corporation certified by Destinations International’s Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP), we work with hundreds of partners to tell the world the story of Tampa Bay. Treasure awaits.