Dear Industry Partners,

The beautiful weather this past week reminds us why we love this place we call home. With clear skies and the sun shining upon us once more, I wanted to personally reach out to you with a sense of gratitude and unwavering optimism. With so many challenges in our rearview mirror and some still in front of us, our foundation remains stronger than ever, and our community continues to show the resilience and strength that defines us.

As we continue to see more and more of our destination return to action, Visit St. Pete-Clearwater remains committed to promoting and shining a spotlight on our beloved destination. In fact, I am sending you this note from the heart of London in the U.K. as St. Pete-Clearwater has brought the sunshine to Brand USA's Travel Week. As part of our trip to continue to retain and further develop key international markets, we will also take part in special events with key travel tour operators and media in Amsterdam to celebrate the return of Delta Air Line’s seasonal flight from Amsterdam to Tampa International Airport starting this Saturday. This route will bring even more international visitors to our destination and provide a bridge to major cities throughout Europe to our destination.

In addition to our international efforts, your VisitSPC team has also been around the U.S. making sure meeting planners, tour operators, media, and potential visitors know we are open for business. This past weekend we made a strong presence at the NYC Wine & Food Festival, a fantastic opportunity to amplify our destination’s culinary offerings.

Additionally, the team’s planned activities for the month include meeting planner events in Tallahassee, New England and the Bahamas, as well as sales and trade events in Las Vegas, Washington, D.C., Mexico, Brazil and Colombia. These events allow us to connect with valued partners and showcase the unique experiences that St. Pete-Clearwater offers. Our main message to everyone – there is no need to cancel any plans and no need to hesitate about booking a trip to St. Pete-Clearwater. The news coverage of our area that they may have seen on TV or online does not represent our current look, and certainly not the entirety of our eclectic destination.

While much of our destination has been able to re-open their doors quickly, including many of our top attractions, we know our award-winning beaches and waterfront communities, which saw historic storm surge during Hurricane Helene, are in need of a little more time to fully recover. Throughout it all, we look forward to sharing the continued growth of our destination across our social and digital channels with each passing week.

We've weathered the storms, welcomed clear skies and are emerging stronger than ever. Together, we are Still Shining.

Brian Lowack