HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Full beaches, booked hotels, and crowded restaurants all factored in on Tampa Bay's record-breaking tourism comeback after businesses experienced a financial jab last April from the growing pandemic.
Some experts had predicted Florida would be one of the states most-impacted this summer by European travel restrictions. The prediction was made based on "the number of inbound tourists to each state alongside their total spending, and compared the result to each state’s gross domestic product," according to Footwear News.
Visit Tampa Bay revealed in a press release that its tourist development collections topped $4 million in May for the first time ever.
In April, the Bay area outpaced national and state averages for hotel occupancy. The region averaged 77 percent occupancy, compared to 71.5 percent statewide and 57.5 percent nationwide.
Florida was recently ranked the second most "fun state" behind California and ahead of Nevada in a WalletHub survey. And after 14+ months of built up traveling urges, there's no surprise as to why traveling demands are at an all time high.
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