TAMPA, Fla. — It was a record-breaking year for Hillsborough County hotels in 2022.
The county ended the year with a whopping $1,020,315,314 in taxable hotel revenue — a 43.1% increase from the year before. Visit Tampa Bay shared the achievement in a news release, adding that the county surpassed a five-year tourism goal in just three years.
“Hitting our billion-dollar hotel revenue goal is a massive achievement, not just for our hotels, but for all our partners and the community,” Santiago C. Corrada, president and CEO of Visit Tampa Bay, said in the release.
The revenue goal doesn't just signal success for hotels. Corrada says it bodes well for all Tampa Bay-area businesses.
“Research shows that only 20% of direct visitor spending is on hotels and higher percentages are spent on entertainment, retail, and food and beverage. Indirect and induced impacts underline how our success benefits all," he added.
Visit Tampa Bay set the $1 billion hotel revenue goal in January 2020, with a plan to meet it by 2025.
"To grow from $700 million in revenues to $1 billion in three years showcases the historic aggressive growth of Tampa Bay," the company wrote.
Hillsborough County also continues to see increases in tourist development tax collections and bed tax collections, according to Visit Tampa Bay.
The tourism company says, along with community partners, it drives nearly $8 billion a year in economic development across Tampa Bay.
