Hillsborough County’s Tourism Development Tax revenue grew nearly 31 percent in June compared to the same month last year, according to new figures from the Hillsborough County Tax Collector’s Office.
The county’s June report – a tally of tax collections from hotel room sales in May — comes to $2.39 million, 30.74 percent higher than the previous year.
“May turned out to be a perfect moment for Hillsborough County tourism,” said Santiago Corrada, president and CEO of Visit Tampa Bay.
On top of beautiful weather and higher-than-expected numbers of vacation and business travelers, Hillsborough County also hosted major city-wide conventions that happened to coincide with the Tampa Bay Lightning playing in two rounds of National Hockey League playoffs leading up to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Total hotel revenues for May reached $48.7 million, up more than 10 percent from the same period last year, according to STR Inc., which tracks hotel industry statistics.
All those factors helped make May the month when Hillsborough County outpaced all of its 10 industry competitors nationwide in terms of growth in hotel revenue per available room, a key indicator of hotel profitability.
“We work with our industry partners to continue to push Tampa Bay to the top of our competitors, both as a destination and a brand,” Corrada said. “These new numbers show those efforts are paying off.”
The June report brings the county’s total bed-tax revenue for the first nine months of the 2015 fiscal year to just shy of $21 million, more than 15 percent ahead of the same period last year. The county ended Fiscal Year 2014 with $23.7 million in bed-tax revenues, a record amount.
Hillsborough County continued to be a draw for leisure travelers in May. Visit Tampa Bay recorded more than 65,000 leisure room-nights – hotel stays by individual travelers or families as opposed to convention-goers – in May, far exceeding the company’s goal for the month.
During May, Tampa Bay hosted three games each of the Eastern Conference Second Round series (Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Montreal Canadiens) and the Eastern Conference Finals (Lightning vs. New York Rangers). Each series produced three games at Tampa Bay’s Amalie Arena. Each also happened to coincide with already-scheduled major conventions, giving an extra boost to local hotel numbers.
The series against the Canadiens happened the same week that the Assisted Living Federation of America held its annual meeting in Tampa Bay. The annual National Defense Industrial Association Special Operations Forces Industry Conference took place at the same time as the Eastern Conference Finals between the Lightning and the New York Rangers.
“We’re glad Tampa Bay could play host to two NHL series and two major conventions simultaneously without a hitch,” Corrada said. “These new numbers represent tens of thousands of local jobs. They show the value leisure travel, professional sports and the convention business all provide for the Tampa Bay community.”
About Visit Tampa Bay
Visit Tampa Bay encourages adventurous travelers to unlock our destination’s trove of unique treasures. We are a not-for-profit corporation that works with more than 750 partners to tell the world the story of our home – the hip, urban heart of the Gulf Coast of Florida.
For more information:
KEVIN WIATROWSKI
Media Relations
Office: (813) 218-3894
Cell: (813) 395-4043
Twitter: @kwiatrowskiVTB
SOURCE: Visit Tampa Bay
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