ST. PETERSBURG/CLEARWATER AREA CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU DEVELOPS AREA’S NUMBER ONE INDUSTRY

   Everyone realizes that tourism is an important economic engine throughout Florida and the rest of the world, but not many people understand just how important it is. Direct tourism expenditures in Pinellas County now exceed $2.3 billion annually. The tourism industry also accounts for 66,000 jobs. When you add up the direct and indirect spending it climbs to more than $4.6 billion.

   The St. Petersburg/Clearwater Area, which is the name under which we market the county, draws more than 4.39 million overnight visitors each year, making it the most popular tourism destination on Florida’s Gulf Coast. Unlike many other pass-through areas in the state, visitors to the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Area stay almost eight nights. That’s nearly four times longer than in many destinations, meaning the economic impact of those visitors is the equivalent of having nearly 16 million overnight visitors anywhere else. This is a figure that does not include an additional 6,744,167 day visitors or more than 250,000 winter extended stay visitors.

   It is safe to say that tourism is the lifeblood of Pinellas County. Keeping it going is the job of the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Area Convention & Visitors Bureau and its staff, since tourism does not grow on its own.

   The St. Petersburg/Clearwater Area Convention & Visitors Bureau is the countywide tourism management and marketing organization responsible for developing and promoting Pinellas County as a leisure, business, convention, conference, sports and film production destination.

   It is very important to understand that every area in Florida has a unique message to send that will draw visitors. You cannot successfully promote an urban area the same way as you would promote a beach resort. It is the job of the CVB to define that community’s message and use it to generate more visitors and economic benefit.

   Pinellas County is in its eighth straight year of record visitation. However, constant challenges mean there are no guarantees to future success. With an ever-changing marketplace, we must continue to innovate and market our destination better than ever before. We look forward to accomplishing these things in the future as we look for improved ways in which we can better serve you – our visitors.