Dear Partners,

July was full of exciting events and celebrations in St. Pete Clearwater. Besides the record temperatures, 727 Day was a record success, and has quickly established itself as Pinellas County’s largest unofficial holiday. 727Day.com was the top performer on web, pulling in more than 24,000 sessions. As for the mobile passport, we had a total of 8,577 check-ins that resulted in 4,815 offer redemptions and more than 1,000 727 shirts. I appreciate everyone coming together to thank our welcoming residents and allowing us the platform to promote the value of tourism to our community.

Within the past month the team has been active in some of our largest in-bound domestic markets, including Boston and New York City. Additionally, as we continue promoting the destination to our Canadian visitors, the VisitSPC team and Pinellas County Commissioner Latvala hosted media and travel professionals at the Toronto Blue Jays home game at the Rogers Centre. A win for the Blue Jays made the event much more special.

With school starting back up this month, you will continue to see us speak loudly to The Greater Tampa Bay community and our drive markets about the perks of a staycation along our award-winning beaches and in our quaint downtowns. We’re also looking forward to celebrating National Beach Day on August 30!

Thank you all for everything you do to promote our slice of paradise, and for every grain of sand that makes us America's Favorite Beaches & Then Some.

Join VisitSPC for an enlightening and thought-provoking event featuring the dynamic and talented Creative Consultant, and Entertainer, Rachel Covello.

Reserve a seat and join Brian Lowack, the President/CEO of Visit St. Pete-Clearwater for coffee and casual conversation. This event is limited to 25 people. Ask questions and get to know Brian, and learn more about your local convention and visitors bureau in a more personal setting.

Four of St. Pete-Clearwater’s chefs recently took their talents to New York City for a unique event at Platform by the James Beard Foundation. The intimate gathering helped showcase the area's thriving food scene to NYC-based media and content creator, and firmly establish our home as a must-visit destination for food lovers.

Chefs Nick Ocando (Allelo Group), Rob Reinsmith (Wild Child/Slim Charmer), Chris Artrip (The Black Pearl), and David Reyes (The St. Pete Distillery) served up a dazzling multi-course dinner for 50 New York-based media and content creators. Each chef was paired with one of the destination's museums— Chihuly Collection, The Dalí Museum, The Museum of Fine Arts, and The Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement—to create a "Palate & Palette" themed menu. This event beautifully highlighted the incredible connection between our area's arts and culture and its evolving culinary landscape.

Shortly after the James Beard Foundation event, Food & Wine, a trusted source that celebrates the food and drink culture published the article titled:  These 8 Under-The-Radar Destinations Are America’s Next Great Food Cities. As the only Florida destination included in this list of America’s Next Great Food Cities, the St. Pete-Clearwater dining scene shines bright, and includes MICHELIN Recommended restaurants as well as local gems known for their mixology and Caribbean influence.

Get Up and Go Kayak Tampa Bay was named Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards Best of the Best Winner for 2025 as the #1 Nature and Outdoors activity in the U.S. 🥇 Congratulations!

Join us in congratulating Little Toot Dolphin Adventure for being selected as Best of the Best (#4), under the Things to Do in Sailing and Day Cruises category of Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards. 🐬

Raise a glass for Allelo 🍷 - selected as one of the Best Wine Bars in the U.S. by USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice Awards! Allelo was the only Florida location selected under this category.

VisitSPC and Pinellas County Commissioner Chris Latvala combined baseball & Beaches north of the border, hosting a group of travel advisors and members of the media at the Toronto Blue Jays home game that took place on July 22. The event was part of the team's strategy to keep St. Pete-Clearwater top-of-mind for Canadian travelers.

Starting Oct. 26, the new avianca nonstop flight from Bogotá to Tampa International Airport will be offered daily. The service launched on March 30 (at four days per week) as the first regularly scheduled flight into TPA from a new continent in more than 50 years, marking the first nonstop route from South America. 

Sandearl Resort

Best Eco-Friendly Hotel

The Don CeSar

Best Destination Resort

Best Hotel Fitness Center

U.K.-based Wanderlust included the St. Pete-Clearwater arts scene in a rundown of the top cultural experiences in Florida: https://www.wanderlustmagazine.com/inspiration/florida-top-cultural-experiences/

Mexico travel-based online outlet El Souvenir spotlight St. Pete-Clearwater as a great place to stop by during World Cup:

St. PETE-CLEARWATER: El destino ideal para vivir la COPA MUNDIAL FIFA 2026

(Click here for a translation of the article)

Baldwin Ho, who visited the destination in May, had wonderful things to say about the local food scene in Luxury Lifestyle Magazine: https://www.luxurylifestylemag.co.uk/travel/culinary-excellence-fine-art-and-the-ultimate-in-relaxation-at-st-pete-clearwater-in-florida/

VisitSPC staycation series continue to air in Tampa Bay's Morning Blend:

The Roth Hotel: https://www.abcactionnews.com/morning-blend/were-taking-you-to-the-roth-hotel-on-sunset-beach

Moxy St. Pete: https://www.abcactionnews.com/morning-blend/were-taking-you-to-the-moxy-hotel-in-downtown-st-pete

The Partner Portal is the gateway to updating your business listing and staff member directory, upload videos, photos, and special offers, share your social media channels, & so much more. Partners with questions about navigating the Partner Portal or that do not have a username or password to log in to the partner portal, can email Contact@VisitSPC.com.