Tampa, Hillsborough County break monthly tourism records

Tourism revenue in Tampa and Hillsborough County set an all-time record in March, according to tourism agency Visit Tampa Bay. 

In a press release, the agency reports that both taxable hotel revenue and bed tax collections set new records for the month as hotel stays in Hillsborough County produced $134.48 million in taxable revenue while generating $8.06 million in Tourism Development Taxes. 

The agency credits dynamic marketing campaigns, incisive sales missions and focused incentive investments for making March the best-performing month for tourism in the county’s history. 

“March’s milestone-setting performance can be traced back to two founding principles that guide Visit Tampa Bay,” Santiago Corrada, President and CEO of Visit Tampa Bay, says in the release. “The first principle is that we’re only as good as the commitment from our more than 1,000 partners, as well as city and county teammates, and they have been nothing short of amazing. The second principle is that, to ensure we fully support their efforts and make sure their hard work is rewarded, we must strategically invest and regularly promote the destination on a recurring basis to attract leisure travelers, business travelers and event planners. It’s a garden that needs constant tending, but when resourced correctly, it can yield strong results.” 

Adding to that is the nearly 60 meetings, conventions and other events hosted by Hillsborough County in March, including four citywide conventions and the first and second rounds of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Benchmark International Arena. May promises another full calendar for the county, the agency says, with more than 30 gatherings including three city-wide conventions and the annual Special Operations Forces Week, which anticipates bringing in 20,000 attendees. 

March 2026 marks only the third time in Hillsborough County’s history that hotel revenue has topped $130 million in a single month. Previous record-breaking months include February 2025, which saw $133.48 million and March 2025, which brought in $132.52 million. 

This is also the second time in history that Hillsborough County’s bed tax collections exceeded $8 million. The first time was in February 2025. 

So far this fiscal year, from September 2025 to March 2026, the county has brought in a cumulative taxable hotel revenue of $689.13 million, generating $41.33 million in Tourism Development Taxes, which help support venues such as Raymond James Stadium and Benchmark International Arena while also funding marketing efforts to promote Tampa Bay. 

Corrada specifically credits Visit Tampa Bay’s winter “Go and You’ll Know” campaign launched over the holiday season as playing a critical role in the county’s monetary success. That campaign targeted Visit Tampa Bay’s largest and highest-value feeder markets, including New York, Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Washington, D.C. and Boston. International efforts include campaigns in Canada as well as the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Mexico, Colombia and Brazil.