Pinellas County’s tourism industry recorded its strongest spring on record, according to new data released by Visit St. Pete-Clearwater. The tourism agency reported more than $36.2 million in tourist development tax collections from February through April, up 7.7% from the same period a year earlier.
Tourism Growth
May continued the trend with the strongest lodging tax collections for that month in the past three fiscal years. The strong spring wasn’t limited to tax collections. Visit St. Pete-Clearwater reported stronger hotel revenues, higher room rates, improved vacation rental performance and nearly 3.1 million visitors in May, a 9.7% increase from a year earlier.
“We’re far beyond bouncing back from 2024,” said Brian Lowack, president and CEO of Visit St. Pete-Clearwater. “We’re past that.” Lowack said the county is now on pace to surpass its previous record for tourist development tax collections, set in 2023.
The agency’s visitor surveys suggest travelers are also coming to Pinellas County for different reasons than they did before the pandemic. Groups of friends and couples accounted for a larger share of visitors this spring, and for the first time since 2019, 12% of visitors said a concert or special event was the primary reason for their trip.
Original reporting: St. Pete Catalyst — read the source article.
