Written by: Ansley Blackwell, Director of Sales and Community Partnerships, Centro Asturiano Tampa
The final Leadership Tampa program day carried the feeling of the last page of a book you are not quite ready to finish.
The final bus ride. The final round of conversations. A chapter closing—not with sadness, but with that unique mix of nostalgia and excitement that comes when you realize you are standing at the edge of something ending and something new beginning.
Tourism Day felt especially fitting as our final program day because tourism, at its heart, is about stories.
It is how communities introduce themselves to the world.
Tampa itself is a product of that story. Built by immigrants, entrepreneurs, dreamers, and visionaries who arrived seeking opportunity, our city has always been shaped by people who chose to build something lasting. Tourism continues that tradition today—bringing new people into our story while fueling one of the region’s most important economic engines.
The day was thoughtfully organized by Chairs Jill Manthey, LT’10, Vice President of Sales & Community Relations for Manthey Hospitality, and Kris Knox, LT’20, Managing Director of Millennium Management, alongside committee members Jen Richardson, LT’25, Cameron O’Connell, LT’21, and Nevar Campbell, LT’24. With support from sponsor Carnival Cruise Line, they created a program that showcased not only Tampa’s attractions, but the partnerships, industries, and leaders that keep our tourism ecosystem moving.
Our journey began at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, where we were welcomed one final time by Leadership Tampa Class Chair Kari Goetz before hearing from Erick Elliott, LT’20, Vice President of General Services for Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Adventure Island.
While Busch Gardens is known for world-class attractions and experiences like Iron Gwazi and the Serengeti Safari, it is also one of North America’s largest zoological institutions, caring for more than 1,000 animals while supporting wildlife conservation, animal rescue, and education initiatives around the globe.
That balance between experience and stewardship became a recurring theme throughout the day.
Santiago Corrada, CEO of Visit Tampa Bay, helped frame tourism through the lens of economic impact. His message was clear: tourism is not built on one attraction, one hotel, or one event—it is an ecosystem.
Visit Tampa Bay works alongside more than 1,000 partners to tell our region’s story. Visitors fill hotel rooms, dine in local restaurants, attend events, visit attractions, shop in our neighborhoods, and support jobs across our community.
One phrase surfaced repeatedly throughout the day: “heads in beds.”
Simple words, but powerful in meaning.
Those overnight stays generate Tourist Development Taxes that help fund destination marketing, attractions, and special events. Visitors filling hotel rooms support restaurants, retail, transportation, cultural organizations, conventions, and experiences throughout the community. Tourism is not simply about bringing people here—it is about what their presence makes possible.
Following a visit from one of Busch Gardens’ African penguins and a trip through the Serengeti Safari, many of us experienced Iron Gwazi—an attraction that has become one of Tampa’s most recognizable tourism draws and a reminder of the world-class experiences available in our own backyard.
Our next stop brought us to ZooTampa at Lowry Park, where we were welcomed by Cameron O’Connell, LT’21. Like Busch Gardens, ZooTampa represents something larger than tourism alone.
Beyond being a beloved family destination, the zoo serves as a leader in wildlife conservation and rehabilitation. Highlights included the Florida Wilds area and the nationally recognized David A. Straz Jr. Manatee Critical Care Center, where injured and endangered manatees receive life-saving care before returning to Florida waters.
Following lunch, Michelle Coletta and Scott Rose shared ZooTampa’s future vision, including opportunities to better connect the zoo with Lowry Park, the Hillsborough River, and surrounding development. Their presentation reinforced a theme we had seen throughout the day: Tampa’s major attractions are constantly evolving while remaining committed to their missions.
The afternoon expanded the conversation to include the broader visitor economy through a panel featuring Terri Parnell-Longphree, LT’19, Bob Morrison, LT’81, and Chris Adkins, LT’18, before concluding at The Florida Aquarium.
There, Roger Germann welcomed us before a panel featuring MaryBeth Williams, Bill Kuzmick, LT’21, and Don Barnes explored the role cultural attractions, major events, and community assets play in shaping Tampa’s identity.
From the Riverwalk and the American Victory Ship to Gasparilla and the Florida Aquarium, each organization preserves and shares a different chapter of Tampa’s story.
Visitors may come for an attraction, a convention, a sporting event, or a cruise. But they return because of the experiences that make a place feel unforgettable.
As the day concluded aboard Yacht StarShip and Tampa’s skyline drifted past, it felt like the perfect moment to reflect on everything Leadership Tampa had taught us.
We spent the day discussing attractions, conservation, economic impact, and tourism development. But perhaps the lesson was simpler than that.
Tourism is the way a community shares itself.
And perhaps that was the perfect final lesson for Leadership Tampa.
Communities do not happen by accident. They are built intentionally.
And every day, Tampa chooses to share its story with the world.