by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 11:36 AM ET, Thu August 12, 2021
Visit Tampa Bay has reported record-breaking hotel revenue in July, breaking the last record, which was set back in 2019 prior to the pandemic.
Tampa Bay's hotel revenue in July reached $66.6 million, a 33.25 percent increase since the last hotel revenue record was set in 2019. This isn't the only good sign of the area's recovery: the hotel revenue for the first 10 months of the fiscal year is now at $490 million. Back in 2019, hotel revenue for the year reached $600 million.
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What does all this mean, exactly? Hotel revenue growth indicates that more individuals are traveling to Tampa Bay than have in the past, which then leads to more businesses, both within and outside of the tourism industry, recovering quicker.
While this isn't a complete recovery, it is a great sign that the region is recovering. Visitation has increased to a number higher than it had been back in 2019, with hotel occupancy reaching 73.3 percent in July, according to STR, Inc. The region hosted events such as Comic Con throughout July, which is a large factor in Tampa Bay's recovery.
"Our stellar summer visitation is a direct result of our industry and community stakeholders working together to bring our county tremendous economic impact," says Santiago C. Corrada, president and CEO of Visit Tampa Bay.
"Coupled with the start of our in-market activations, a robust domestic advertising campaign, and upcoming city-wide conventions through the end of the year, including one of our industry's largest events, Connect Marketplace, later this month, Tampa Bay is positioned to continue safely hosting visitors and keep the momentum going."
It remains to be seen how the spread of the Delta variant will impact Tampa Bay's (and to a larger extent, the state of Florida's) economic recovery. Florida remains one of the hardest-hit states in the country, shattering another COVID-19 positive test rate this week, with 24,753 new cases reported on August 11 alone, according to the Miami Herald.
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