Closing out our amazing series of program days, LT ‘23 visited a few of the amazing locations in Tampa that delight both visitors and locals alike as a part of Tourism Day.
Florida boasts over 138 million visitors annually according to Visit Florida and employs around 1.8 million people in tourism related jobs and industries. This can turn into some serious money coming into the Sunshine State – it is estimated that the state earns more than $5 billion in direct revenue annually from tourism. Additionally, there is an estimated $1 billion of indirect revenue – think doctors, security, etc. – as well as $1 billion in induced revenue.
Before the day even began, we gave back to our community. Classmate, Major Eric DeFelice, organized our class to give to the Cereal for Summer campaign, which is a great program providing nourishment to kids in our area. The goal was to fill an entire squad car with cereal, which the class was able to do with ease.
The first stop on the tour was Busch Gardens. Outside of the beaches and the weather, Busch Gardens is one of the original – and still one of the most popular – attractions to visit in Tampa. There, we met Neal Thurman – President of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay & Adventure Island. With an annual attendance of over 3 million visitors, Busch Gardens is one of the most popular theme parks in Florida. They are not satisfied with their success, as this year they are working on over 250 projects, both new rides such as the Serengeti Flyer, which the class got to ride, as well as continuing their focus on maintaining the park.
While we were at Busch Gardens, we were joined by Santiago Corrada, President & CEO of Visit Tampa Bay. Visit Tampa Bay built an ambitious plan to attract visitors to the region, and the plan has worked as they have brought in over $1 billion in revenue to the region in 2022, which was ahead of their 2025 goal. This has been led by a surge in overnight visitors as well as some large events such as the Taylor Swift concert which happened recently.
We closed out our time at Busch Gardens with a safari tour, getting up close and personal with several of the animals, but the highlight had to be our time feeding the group of giraffes.
The next location was ZooTampa at Lowry Park. At 1.2 million annual visitors, ZooTampa is the most visited cultural attraction in Florida, and ranked the #6 overall zoo in the United States. They also have the 4th best exhibit with the David A. Straz, Jr. Manatee Critical Care Center, and had a successful series called Secrets of the Zoo in partnership with Nat Gio and Disney+.
During our time at ZooTampa, we heard from a panel discussing the importance of cultural attractions and major events to the tourism industry. The panel included moderator Troy Manthey (LT ’03) President & CEO, Yacht StarShip and Pirate Water Taxi; Mark Haney (LT ’10) Chief External Relations Officer, Zoo Tampa at Lowry Park; Andy Wood (LT ’19) COO, The Florida Aquarium; Don Barnes, Executive Director, Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla; and MaryBeth Williams, Executive Director, Friends of the Riverwalk.
Both Mark Haney and Andy Wood talked about the remarkable expansions that will be happening at both locations, with ZooTampa expanding access to the river front and the Florida Aquarium building several large new exhibits such as homes for puffins, sea lions, and penguins, as well as reimagining several of the existing areas. Also, with over 1 million visitors annually and $140 million of economic impact, the Florida Aquarium is driving large numbers right in the heart of downtown Tampa.
Don Barnes of Ye Mistic Krewe of Gasparilla next discussed the economic impact of Gasparilla on the Tampa Bay Area. The direct impact of the Gasparilla parades on Tampa was $40 million in 2004, and there is now a “Gasparilla season” in Tampa with art festivals, distance races, music festivals, and many other events that leverage the spirit of the pirate season. Finally, Friends of the Riverwalk is the engine that brings existing family-friendly events to the riverwalk and helps to sell the city for larger events that could be looking at Tampa. This includes activities such as the River Fest and Trick-or-Treating around Halloween time, but the most important aspect is volunteerism and helping to keep the river and surrounding areas clean for both animals and visitors alike.
As we left the zoo and headed back downtown, we got a narrated bus tour focusing on our culinary scene by Susan Williams (LT ’20) VP of Destination Experiences with Visit Tampa Bay. From the Heights to Midtown to Water Street and the downtown area, Tampa is now becoming an area for foodies to congregate. With 17 Michelin rated restaurants, and now 3 Michelin starred restaurants, chefs are wanting to bring their new and interesting concepts to Tampa.
Next, we arrived at the Tampa Convention Center, where we had a panel around the marketing to make Tampa a convention destination. The panel included Bob Morrison (LT ’81), Executive Director, Hillsborough County Hotel and Motel Association; Adam Depiro (LT ’18), VP of Convention Sales, Visit Tampa Bay; Juan Lopez, Sales and Marketing Manager, Tampa Convention Center and David Ingram, Executive Director, Tampa Convention Center.
The Convention Center is currently undergoing an exciting 18,000 square foot expansion, including several areas that will have a spectacular waterfront view overlooking Davis Islands, Harbour Island, and Bayshore Blvd. Even before that, the convention center has been able to attract medium to large-sized conventions, and to keep them coming back on a regular schedule because of the mix of nice weather, good and affordable hotels, and many things to do within a short distance around the convention center. The addition of four-star hotels such as the JW Marriott in the direct proximity of the convention center has only added to the appeal, while the diversity of events, such as sports tourism, continue to be an engine that drives good returns to the city.
We closed out the day on an exciting note, with some of the class taking the Bay Rocket, and then all of us meeting back at JoToro to meet with Michelin starred Chef Joe Isidori to understand how he made the move from New York to Tampa, what his friends had to say about this, and what he has learned going from fine dining to casual Mexican restaurants. From there, it was to Splitsville for the unofficial debrief and spending the last few moments with the BCE.
I feel like I am one of the few residents of Tampa that was born and mostly raised in the city. The Tampa of today is not anywhere close to the Tampa that I grew up in. Tampa used to be the underdog, and everyone had to figure out how to row the boat together to compete with some of the bigger cities. Now Tampa is the example of how to grow across all spectrums. As an example, Nashville is visiting Tampa to learn how to activate the waterfront like we have been able to do here.
Tampa has gone from being a suburban, mid-tier city that most kids left and never came back to the hot spot that people want to live in, work in, and visit. From a top-notch airport and port, a vibrant cultural and arts scene, the sports dominance over the last few years of Champa Bay, a business-friendly climate, and Fortune 500 companies moving down monthly, the best of Tampa is yet to come and I for one am glad that my LT ’23 classmates and I have a first-row seat to Tampa’s next act.
