PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Tourism is back and better than ever at our beaches. Visit St. Pete-Clearwater is reporting historic tourism numbers.
"That makes me really happy to hear, it really does, because everybody is fighting for their jobs all over the place, and it’s so nice to hear that Clearwater was able to make a nice comeback," said Marjorie Miller, a tourist.
WATCH: St. Pete-Clearwater sees rebound in bed tax revenue
It’s a comeback, bringing in record-breaking tourism numbers
"I'm incredibly proud, it’s a community effort, the entire destination from the properties…getting properties up to speed so quickly and ready to welcome visitors back," said Brian Lowack with Visit St. Pete-Clearwater.
Visit St. Pete-Clearwater recorded the highest tourism development tax collections in history for January and February.
January saw $8 million in bed tax dollars and February saw $10 million dollars, up 9% from last year.
"That’s just 14, 15 months post the storms we saw here in 2024, so you saw a little bit of that pent up demand from folks who maybe took the year off last year, wanted to get back to the destination to experience their vacation," said Lowack.
Leaders with Visit St. Pete-Clearwater said the area saw a dip in tourism during 2025, as recovery from Hurricanes Helene and Milton remained the focus.
"2025 was still impacted, because a lot of international travelers were feeling Clearwater wasn’t back right," said Bill McKay with Sheraton Sand Key.
But now, tourism is back better than ever.
Marjorie and Russell Miller visit Clearwater every year and said their goal is to help small businesses recover while in town
"We are at the hotels and the restaurants and we have friends who went to miniature golfing last night, and we intend on hitting some of the little shops and stores to take some souvenirs home to our grandchildren so we bring our money with us from New Jersey," said Marjorie Miller.
Leaders with Visit St. Pete-Clearwater expect record tourism to continue through the beginning of Summer
The Millers hope people continue to visit the place they love.
"It’s all about keeping these places alive…this is what makes it so beautiful to enjoy the sun and the sand," said Marjorie Miller.
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