While it may take months - if not years - for some portions of the Tampa Bay area tourism industry to recover, Hillsborough County officials want to get out the word that they're open for business after the havoc wreaked by hurricanes this season.
County commissioners voted unanimously last week to put $6 million into what's called "recovery marketing."
Visit Tampa Bay President Santiago Corrada told the commission that there's a feeling that the Tampa Bay area has been decimated -- and it's particularly strong with potential foreign visitors.
"I can't tell you how many international press announcements I've had to do in conversations with media all over the world, letting them know that, yes, we have communities that have suffered and that have been impacted, but our tourism infrastructure is still in place, that our airport is operational, our port is operational, our hotels are operational, restaurants and again, those are all of our friends that work in that industry."
Tourism officials across Florida's Gulf Coast say one of the ways concerned people can help the area recover is to visit as tourists, even though some beaches are still closed to the public and debris is still piled next to streets from recent hurricanes Helene and Milton.
The tourism promotion agency for the St. Petersburg-Clearwater area said in a news release that 80% of hotels and businesses in the area are open for business, even as clean-up and recovery continues.
“Many people have asked, ‘How can I help?’ and the answer is this: Come visit and support our local businesses when they need you most,” Visit St. Pete-Clearwater said Friday in the news release. “You can also pitch in at beach cleanups, attend fundraisers and donate.”
Helene made landfall as a category 4 storm in Florida's Big Bend region last month, and Milton made landfall earlier this month as a category 3 hurricane on a barrier island in Sarasota County.
The state tourism promotion agency says it plans to spend $5.7 million to promote Florida as a tourism destination following the hurricanes.
The campaign's first phase will focus on social media promotion of areas of Florida that were comparatively untouched by the storms, such as Pensacola, Panama City Beach and Islamorada in the Florida Keys.
The second phase will spend $3 million promoting areas impacted by the storms but already have recovered such as Naples and Fort Myers.
The last phase will offer direct marketing assistance to the counties most affected by the storms in the St. Petersburg and Sarasota areas, and rural areas in the Panhandle, according to Visit Florida.
