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05/14/07 Pinellas County Celebrates National Tourism Week in St. Petersburg
Over 500
representatives from hotels, restaurants, tourist destinations, and local
governments turned out for a luncheon in downtown St. Petersburg to kick
off National Tourism Week – designated as May 12 – 19, 2007. St.
Petersburg City Council Member Bill Foster welcomed the group with a
proclamation highlighting the importance of tourism to Pinellas County and St. Petersburg.
According to
information provided by the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Area Convention and
Visitor’s Bureau, there are over 13.5 million visitors to our area
annually. Out of that number, over 10 million visitors visit St. Petersburg specifically during their stay. Pinellas County’s number one tourist
destination is… can you guess it… is our famous landmark--the Pier!
Tourism is our region’s
number one employer, with 83,539 Pinellas County residents earning a
combined annual payroll of $2.9 billion annually. The total impact of
tourism to Pinellas County is over $6.9 billion annually.
The top three factors
citied for visitors selecting our area are the beaches, the relaxing
environment, and the safety of the area.
D.T. Minich, the newly
appointed Executive Director of the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Area
Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, was introduced and addressed the audience
members. The Bureau serves as the county-wide management and marketing
organization responsible for developing and promoting the region as a
leisure, convention, conference, sports, and film production destination.
Did you
know, at the close of the Florida Legislature session a bill was passed to
entice film production services in the state. The Film and Entertainment
Industry Tax Incentive creates a $25 million incentive for the film and
entertainment industry, which includes a 10 percent allocation for digital
media projects. This legislative bill is valid for two-years and was
supported by both the Florida Chamber and the Visitor’s Bureau.
Click
here to learn more about the Legislative Recap of 2007 on other bills
of interest to businesses.
At the close of the
National Tourism Week luncheon, Minich announced the Bureau’s soon-to-be live
website www.PinellasCVB.com,
which is tailored to service the needs of the tourism industry. The site
will include tourism statistics and economic information, specifically geared
towards the tourism industry interests and will continuously be updated,
so check back often.
Send Us Your Comments on the Web Site
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