TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa is starting the New Year on the heels of record-breaking tourism in 2023.

Big events and a record number of conventions fueled the surge in visitors and spending, but officials with Visit Tampa Bay said maintaining those numbers in the New Year will be challenging.

What You Need To Know

  • Visit Tampa Bay says it set a record for tourism in 2023

  • Taxable hotel revenue increased to more than $1 billion last year

  • Visit Tampa Bay says convention traffic in 2024 will rival last year

  • Local hotels are hoping to increase the number of room rentals in 2024

“We have to continue to compete very, very hard to hold on to what we have,” said Santiago C. Corrada, President and CEO of Visit Tampa Bay.

Corrada says Tampa capitalized on tourism during the pandemic, drawing in new conventions and hosting new events.

With the pandemic over, tourism markets that suffered are now catching up with new marketing and ad campaigns, adding more competition for the Tampa Market.

“Lots and lots of excitement on the books for this year, and we are also going to boost our marketing budget to make sure we stay competitive with other destinations that now want to reclaim that tourism base,” said Corrada.

Visit Tampa Bay says Tampa exceeded $1 billion in taxable hotel revenue last year, and that’s thanks in part to high-end and luxury hotels.

Marriott Hotels Tampa Area General Manager Ron McAnaugh says its flagship hotel on Water Street saw record revenue in 2023, but to continue growing, they are focused on increasing room occupancy in 2024.

“Our sales team just plans to book a lot more rooms,” McAnaugh said. “And we are staring out the year in a really good place because we have a good spread of those city wides or conventions booked already through 2024.”