Industry Update

February 25, 2020

TheWashington Post Puts St. Pete In the Headlines

"St. Petersburg is like that kid you think will never shake an awful nickname. Then she comes to school one year and she's suddenly cool. Nobody calls St. Pete "God's waiting room" anymore." Check out this article from The Washington Post coordinated by Visit St. Pete/Clearwater's Communications team.


St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational Returns For a Home Run In Its Second Year

In only its second year, the St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational has made a name for itself in college softball. The ESPN owned-and-operated event, in collaboration with VSPC's Sports & Events team and the City of Clearwater, drew sell-out crowds totaling more than 12,000 fans over the weekend in Clearwater. All of the games were televised or streamed by ESPN, creating a weekend-long commercial for St. Pete/Clearwater. Read more about the 16-team event here.


New Community Video Series Launches

Among the 20+ videos produced and launched in the past month by Visit St. Pete/Clearwater is a new community series. Safety Harbor, St. Pete Beach and Clearwater Beach are the first three communities featured with each video highlighting different unique aspects of the destination's towns. Discover the charm and history of Safety Harbor, find your next tropical adventure on St. Pete Beach and explore fun activities on Clearwater Beach.


St. Pete/Clearwater Hits $1 Billion in Hotel Revenue

It was a record-breaking 2019 for tourism in St. Pete/Clearwater, which led to all-time highs in Tourist Development Tax (TDT) collections of more than $64 million — a 9% increase year-over-year. Crossing the $60 million TDT mark, which is collected by a 6% visitor tax, means the destination generated more than $1 billion in hotel revenue in 2019, another first. According to STR, the destination also saw record highs for the year in room nights sold (5,388,517), Average Daily Rate ($152.12) and Revenue per Available Room ($109.72). For more insights on visitation and TDT, visit our Reporting page.


Board of County Commissioners Awards BVK with Advertising and Promotional 5-Year Contract

The Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners recently awarded Birdsall, Voss & Associates (BVK) the Advertising and Promotional Services contract for five years. BVK, which has been working with VSPC since 2007, will continue providing integrated marketing communication services for Visit St. Pete/Clearwater and will work in conjunction with VSPC to develop multi-platform, integrated programs to support VSPC's overall mission and goals. In addition, the agency will provide strategic planning, media planning and placement, development and implementation of strategic partnership programs and promotions, creative development and production and project-based research.


VSPC Hosts Successful 2-Day Agency Meeting

Last week, Visit St. Pete/Clearwater hosted a successful 2-day Agency Meeting with its contracted vendors: BVK (Advertising & Promotional Services), Miles Partnership (Website & Technology Services), NJFPR (Public Relations) and Destination Analysts (Research), discussing current trends and future opportunities as they relate to marketing St. Pete/Clearwater.


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