TAMPA, Fla. — Hillsborough County hotels collected a record breaking $963 million in total taxable revenue for the 2022 fiscal year which puts visitor spending impact at more than $8 billion, according to Visit Tampa Bay. 

What You Need To Know

  • Tourist development tax collections reached $57 million, a 56% increase.

  • Visit Tampa Bay fiscal year ended on Sept. 30

  • The Hotel Haya in Ybor City saw double digit growth

“It has been a historic year for Tampa Bay tourism with numbers reaching never before seen milestones," said Santiago Corrada, Pres. and CEO of Visit Tampa Bay. "Those numbers reflect only a fraction of the economic impact of the industry on our community."

The Visit Tampa Bay fiscal year ended on Sept. 30. Tourist development tax collections reached $57 million, a 56% increase over the previous fiscal year.

“We are so grateful to work with community stakeholders and partners that help us to push our economy forward," said Corrada. "Keep over 50,000 of our residents employed, while keeping their taxes low by supporting state and local taxes.”​

The Hotel Haya in Ybor City opened along the famed Seventh Avenue in September of 2020. General Manager Peter Wright said the hotel had double digit growth this past year.  ​

"Our occupancy levels were at record numbers," he said. "It's not just during the peak period of the winter but it's also during the off year."

Wright said the Hotel Haya has had a significant increase in occupancy and in room rates as well. The G.M. said more people have been booking rooms like the Floridian suite with a wrap around balcony that costs $1,200 per night during peak season.

"People are spending more money. They're driving, coming, staying for higher room types," he said. "They're booking the suites. They're booking the balconies."​

The new boutique hotel has a restaurant called Flor Fina, along with the Cafe Quiquiriqui, named after the sound Ybor City roosters make. The hotel is named after Ignacio Haya the original cigar roller in Ybor City.

A rooster statue sits at the entrance of Cafe Quiquiriqui, named after the sound Ybor City roosters make
A rooster statue sits at the entrance of Cafe Quiquiriqui. (Spectrum News/Josh Rojas)

"The owners have the vision of Ybor City and have the vision of what this hotel can mean to the community," said Wright. "We've become a destination hotel." ​

​Wright said he doesn't worry the record breaking tourism year is a one off due to pent up demand from the pandemic.

"Pent up demand is over. It's steady. It's here to stay," he said. "Tampa Bay is still one of the hottest markets in the country. So, we have that opportunity to capitalize on that for the next few years."