Visit Tampa Bay's ad campaigns in cold weather states increasing wintertime tourism

TAMPA, Fla. - Travel to the Tampa Bay area saw an uptick on Tuesday, with tourism leaders hoping the holiday season helps the year go out with a bang.

Visit Tampa Bay CEO Santiago Corrada said his agency has been planning for this time of year by launching ad campaigns in early 2023 targeting tourists in cold weather states.

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"Florida has been known to be that tourism state with year-round great weather. So obviously, the state has capitalized on that advantage," Corrada said.

For more than a century, Florida has been luring travelers with promises of wintertime sand and sunshine.

Postcards and ads from the state archives dating back to the early-to-mid 1900s depict holiday beach scenes, poinsettias paired with palms and, of course, iconic images of Santa lounging in the sand.

"That's classic marketing. You know, Santa taking a few days after his big night to lay around the beach," Corrada shared.

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Marketing has changed during the years, but the message is the same: escape the cold weather during the holidays and come soak up the Florida sun. Visit Tampa Bay has been running ads with that message in major markets, including New York City, Chicago and Philadelphia.

As a result, Corrada expects the end of the year to help the Tampa Bay tourism industry to surpass last year's record $1.03 billion in hotel tax revenue.

"You really want to make sure that the combination of your bowl games -- because obviously we have one on the 22nd and one right around the beginning of the new year -- that your bowl games perform well [and] you bring a lot of fans to the destination," he said. "People leaving some of those parts of the country that are a little bit tougher to deal with weather-wise, come to the destination. So it's incredibly important to end strong."