Tampa Bay Tourism Figures Continue to Shatter Records

Hillsborough County bed tax collections reached nearly $2 million for November, which broke a record by more than 14.5 percent for the month that has stood since 2007, according to a news release from Visit Tampa Bay.

Meanwhile, St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport saw more than 1.6 million passengers in 2015, a figure that broke the all-time passenger record of 1.3 million passengers, previously set at the airport in 2004, according to a news release.

The Pinellas County airport recorded an increase of 25 percent for December in domestic travel, but international travel was down 25 percent for the same month. Overall, passenger traffic was up 24 percent for the last month of the year.

St. Pete-Clearwater Airport officials attribute the recording-setting year to Allegiant Air, the airport's dominant carrier. The Las Vegas-based discount airline has added a number of new flights to and from destinations in the Northeast and Midwest this year.

"We are thrilled and want to thank our passengers, employees, and our airport partners, especially Allegiant, for its rapid growth and confidence in our destination," said airport director Tom Jewsbury.

In Hillsborough County, $1.97 million was collected from bed taxes in November, which is up 16 percent from the same month in 2014. The county collected just under $6.1 million in bed taxes for the first quarter of fiscal year 2016, according to a news release, up from the $5.2 million collected during the same quarter last year.

"These tremendous numbers reflect the growing interest in Tampa Bay as a year-round place for both vacations and conventions," said Santiago Corrada, president and CEO of Visit Tampa Bay. "That's especially true as we gain national and international attention for our trove of treasures – from fantastic food and beer to sports, thrill rides and animal attractions."

Source: The Tampa Bay Times