Following two flat months, Hillsborough County’s hospitality industry saw a large surge in growth in July according to the latest reports from STR, Inc. July’s hotel revenues were up 13.8% while occupancy increased by 3.4% to 70.4%, average daily rate (ADR) up 11.5% to $143.55 and RevPAR up 15.3% to $101.08. 
July tourist development tax collections for Hillsborough County, which reflect June collections, came in at $4,347,279, bringing the total collection for the fiscal year to $56,732,408. Total taxable hotel revenue through June has reached more than $900 million for the fiscal year-to-date indicating that Hillsborough County will surpass $1 billion for the second continuous fiscal year.

“With Hillsborough County on track to hit another billion dollars in taxable hotel revenue, it’s a testament to the hard work and collaboration of Tampa Bay’s tourism industry,” said Santiago C. Corrada, president and CEO of Visit Tampa Bay. “We look forward to keeping the momentum going through the end of the fiscal year as groups such as the Ancient Egypt Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (A.E.A.O.N.M.S.) and the National Black & Latino Economic Summit continue to bring substantial business to the destination.”

Visit Tampa Bay continues to find innovative ways to welcome all visitors to the destination, including serving as a Destination Ally Sponsor at TravelAbility’s Emerging Markets Summit to accentuate accessibility beyond ADA, and utilizing a repurposed shipping container to highlight the destination at an activation in Atlanta. The team also joined more than 1,500 industry leaders at U.S. Travel’s Educational Seminar for Tourism Organizations (ESTO).