Happy New Year!

I hope you had a great holiday season, spent quality time with family and friends, and recharged the batteries for an exciting year ahead. As we turn the calendar together to 2026, we enter the year with immense optimism for travelers from around the world to experience our slice of paradise. We also know we have some strong headwinds that will require the tourism and hospitality industry to work together to develop creative and meaningful connections with our local community, our repeat customers and potential new visitors from our traditional key markets as well as new developing markets.

Some great news to start the year is the finishing touches on fresh new sand for America’s Favorite Beaches, compliments of funding from tourists to our area. With the completion of the largest beach nourishment project in our county’s history, Pinellas County’s shoreline is looking bigger, brighter and more beautiful than ever, and we can’t wait for our visitors—and all of you—to enjoy the expanded shoreline.

Just as importantly, we’re kicking off the new year the right way, with you, our Industry Partners. With the 2026 Annual Industry Partner Summit just around the corner, please take a moment to complete your RSVP via the link below, in case you haven’t already. This year’s road show format is designed to make it easier than ever for all of us to connect, celebrate our collective work and, look ahead to our 2026 Strategic Roadmap.

See you at the Summit!

Clearwater is preparing for a massive arrival! Mama Duck - the world’s largest rubber duck standing six stories tall - will take over Downtown Clearwater. Jeep owners are encouraged to schedule a Duck-cation for the weekend of Jan. 24, where they can take advantage of special hotel discounts and participate in an exclusive photo opportunity featuring their vehicles alongside the giant inflatable icon. Complete details regarding the schedule and travel packages can be found at VisitSPC.com/MamaDuck.

Country Thunder is heading straight for the white sands of the Gulf Coast. From May 8-10, some of country music's biggest stars are heading to America's Favorite Beaches for a can't-miss performance this spring at the TradeWinds Resort on St. Pete Beach.

The Meetings & Conference Team hosted two FAMs this past November, giving more than 20meeting planners from all over the country a tour of some of our incredible properties and the amazing experiences that accompany our beautiful beaches. These opportunities give meeting planners the ability to explore the atmosphere and amenities first-hand, allowing us to highlight our destination as the next place to book their next meeting/conference.

We recently hosted a VisitSPC UK FAM trip, where we welcomed agents from Virgin Atlantic Holidays, Ocean Florida, Barrhead Travel, Hays Travel, USAirtours, and more. From Nov. 12 - 16, these motivated sellers experienced the best of Pinellas County—from beautiful beaches to tiki boating and Dunedin dining to the vibrant arts of downtown St. Pete. A special thank you to the JW Marriott Clearwater Beach and TradeWinds Island Grand Resort for their hospitality!

The momentum continued on Dec. 10 at the inaugural Virgin Atlantic ‘AIRMazing’ Awards, where we represented America’s Favorite Beaches among 171 top agents from the U.K. Through a trade marketplace and an elegant awards gala, we provided these key partners with the inspiration and tools needed to champion our destination. These back-to-back engagements have been instrumental in growing our U.K. trade presence and ensuring our "slice of paradise" remains a top priority for international travelers.

 The Plaza Beach Hotel, Bayview Plaza Waterfront and Bay Palms Waterfront Hotel breathe new life in St. Pete Beach. With the assistance of Florida SBDC at Pinellas County Economic Development, they are open for business and ready to welcome guests through their doors. Check out their story.

Vote for Dunedin, nominated as one of America’s Favorite Small Towns by Parade

The VisitSPC Activations Team offers opportunities for partners to join – for free – at events in the destination throughout the year. Interested partners can check out all the great events lined up and submit their requests by Friday, Jan. 9, 2026 to be considered for their events of interest. These opportunities are based on availability and require approval from the organizer.

For a list of planned activations or for more information, please email Craig Campbell to learn more.

Local Media and Iowa-based outlets covered a picture [and weather]-perfect ReliaQuest Beach Day:

Writer India-Jayne Trainor shared her experience while in our destination in the following Travel Weekly U.K. article: https://travelweekly.co.uk/destinations/florida-st-pete-clearwater

Essence featured St. Pete in a piece by London Alexaundria who visited earlier this year: https://www.essence.com/lifestyle/travel/st-petersburg-florida/

Southern Living included St. Pete among their most underrated destinations to visit in 2026: https://www.southernliving.com/underrated-destinations-to-visit-2026-according-to-experts-11870805

Bay News 9 reported on the appointment of Dave Caputo as the new Film Commissioner for the St. Pete-Clearwater Film Commission: https://baynews9.com/fl/tampa/news/2025/12/21/dave-caputo-film-commissioner--

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.