Hillsborough County breaks tourism tax collection record

Visit Tampa Bay, the destination marketing agency for Tampa and Hillsborough County, reports that the county collected $7.79 million in tourist development taxes, also known as bed taxes, in April, an 11.2% increase over April 2022.

According to a news release, April’s bed-tax haul, which reflects hotel stays in March, represents a new high-water mark for the county and brings its fiscal year TDT collection to $40.56 million. It’s also the 24th consecutive month of record bed tax collections and hotel taxable revenue; the latter was $129.97 million, a 10.5% improvement over April 2022.

Visit Tampa Bay President and CEO Santiago Corrada, in the release, says the numbers are “incredible” and represent “what can happen when the Tampa Bay tourism community and stakeholders come together to make our destination thrive.”

He adds, “Tampa Bay’s tourism industry is flourishing, and we look forward to keeping the momentum going as we welcome significant citywide conventions and meetings this summer.”

Visit Tampa Bay, in the release, also reports that Hillsborough County’s March hotel occupancy rate was 76.4%, average daily rate was $189.93 and revenue per available room was $145.11.