Agency collects $23.75 million in tourist development tax

Nine months into its 2017 fiscal year, Visit Tampa Bay's bed tax collections have eclipsed the tourist agency's performance for all of 2014.

From Oct. 1, 2016 through June 30, the agency has collected $23.75 million in tourist development tax — more than what was collected from hospitality rentals in all of fiscal year 2014.

During the third quarter of fiscal year 2017, the Tampa area hosted the Sunset Music Festival, Educational Testing Service held Advanced Placement reading sessions and the National Defense Industry Association also met for annual gathering, according to a statement.

Visit Tampa Bay also reports that seven of the first nine months of the current fiscal year also were record setting for bed-tax collection.

May's $2.4 million in collections, for instance, was up 2.7% from the same period in fiscal year 2016.

The bed-tax records come as destinations throughout Florida have experienced surging tourism, the result of continued economic prosperity and targeted marketing campaigns.

“Tampa Bay continues to be a magnet for visitors looking for a new, authentic experience in Florida,” says Santiago Corrada, president and CEO of Visit Tampa Bay, in a statement. “Tampa Bay's reputation as Florida's most diverse travel destination adds to everyone's bottom line, whether they're directly tied to tourism or not.”

Throughout the state, tourism and related industry is associated with one in every seven jobs, according to studies by Visit Florida, the state's tourism agency.