Pinellas County reports record year for tourism in 2023

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Tourism is the biggest economic driver in the Tampa Bay Area, and tourists recently broke records in Pinellas County.

According to Visit St. Pete Clearwater’s President and CEO Brian Lowack, more than $98 million in bed tax was collected for the fiscal year 2023, from Oct. 1, 2022, to Sept. 30, 2023. That’s the most in Pinellas County tourism history.

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"It’s a team effort," Lowack told the Pinellas County Tourism Development Council Wednesday. "Today is a great day."

The record-breaking number is about $3 million more than last year, Lowack said. That money goes towards beach renourishment, the new Rays stadium, marketing the destination in the United States and abroad, and other projects. 

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"The numbers are remarkable," he said. "So, we're incredibly proud of our team, our destination, our board of county commissioners, the Tourist Development Council, and all of our partners, including hotels, restaurant tours, museums, and attractions that help make this the most successful year in Pinellas County tourism history."

The county also collected more than $1 billion in hotel revenue. That’s about $30 million more than last year and $200 million more than 2019. 

Pinellas also saw close to six million hotel rooms occupied during fiscal year 2023. That is about 100,000 rooms more than 2022, and about 222,000 more rooms than 2019.

Despite Hurricane Idalia, Lowack said September saw an increase in hotel bed tax funds not just compared to last year, but also compared to the previous several months. September 2023 saw a 2.4 percent increase in hotel bed tax funds compared to September 2022.

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"Maybe we didn't have the business on the beaches, but what we know is that people are attracted, more and more now, especially younger travelers, to urban core destinations. So, we're proud of the success of downtown St. Petersburg, the new properties down there, everything that they have to offer, and I think the numbers there really help support the destination as a whole," Lowack said.

He also credited baseball spring training for drawing visitors to the area.

"When you come down here in Pinellas County during spring baseball, you see the folks heavily represented from the Northeast, Canada, and really including the Yankees [spring training] across the bridge, they're coming over to the beaches as well," Lowack said. "So, here in the Tampa Bay area, we're blessed to have be home to three spring training facilities, and we definitely see the visitation increase during those times from those destinations."

Lowack said they’re advertising the area in the U.K., Germany and South America. Globally, the most visitors are from Canada and the U.K., he said.

He said tourism also supports one in 10 jobs in Pinellas County. Beaches and resorts across the county ranked among the top in the country as well.