Dear Partners,

Thank you for everything you and your teams are doing to create an incredible destination - we are off to a great start in 2026. In fact, both January and February set new highs for TDT collection, and the strong performance has continued through the spring. The strong Q1 underscore the demand for our destination and has set the tone for a great summer season.

We recently made a splash internationally with a sales mission through the U.K. I was lucky to be joined by Pinellas County Commissioner Chris Scherer, Ashley Brooks from the JW Clearwater Beach, and our International team as we held meetings, trainings, and hosted events with key travel trade partners, media, and airlines in four cities in our number one overseas market.

Looking ahead, I will be joined by our team next week at IPW, the travel industry’s premier international marketplace. With the event taking place in Fort Lauderdale, we are taking advantage of our destination’s proximity to invite influential industry professionals and members of the media to both come early and also extend their stay in the Sunshine State and experience "America’s Favorite Beaches" first-hand. A big thank you to everyone who partnered with us to welcome this group and create a special experience for our guests. 

Last, a big thank you to all of you who voted for the very Best of St. Pete-Clearwater. We look forward to celebrating all of you at this year’s Besties celebration in August. Stay tuned!

The countdown is officially on as we are now just one year away from the world’s toughest sailing race dropping anchors in St. Pete-Clearwater. This historic arrival marks a major milestone for our destination as the elite fleet makes its ONLY North America stop between May 4 - 16, 2027, for a can't miss celebration along the Tampa Bay waterfront.

As the summer approaches, we’re looking ahead to incentivize savings to our drive markets. Do you want to drive more foot traffic and reach new visitors? Join the FunShine Savings Passport, our premier digital tool designed to help travelers discover the best local gems. By offering a "meaningful deal"—like a BOGO, a percentage discount, or a free gift with purchase—the FunShine Savings Passport is a great resource specifically designed to enhance visibility across Visit St. Pete-Clearwater’s marketing channels, at no cost to you.

St. Pete-Clearwater has launched a new $500,000 Arts Tourism Funding Program to cement the region as a premier cultural destination. Funded by VisitSPC, and directed by Creative Pinellas along with outreach and event support provided by St. Petersburg Arts Alliance and Clearwater Arts Alliance, this initiative supports individual artists and organizations in creating immersive arts-centric experiences. Designed to drive visitation during the Fall shoulder season, the program offers grants from $5,000 to $50,000.

Applications are open through May 31, 2026.

The 2026 SEC Women’s Golf Championship was held from April 17–21 at the Pelican Golf Club in the charming community of Belleair, bringing together the conference's premier collegiate programs. To elevate the athlete experience, VisitSPC provided a personalized welcome that included custom hotel lobby signage for all participating teams and branded VisitSPC golf towels distributed at check-in, highlighting Belleair as a premier destination for championship-level sports, which includes The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican.

Congratulations to Hubbard's Marina their fifth consecutive year as the Best Fishing Charter in the U.S. by USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice Awards. 

For the second consecutive year, StarLite Cruises has been named the Best Dinner Cruise in the U.S. by USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice Awards. 

The Tampa Bay Automobile Museum ranked among the Top 10 Best Attraction for Car Lovers in the U.S. by USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice Awards. 

The St. Pete Run Fest was recently voted “Best Half Marathon in Florida" by runners nationwide as part of the RaceRaves Runners' Choice initiative.

Caladesi Island State Park

Clearwater Beach

St. Pete Beach

Treasure Island

Travel + Leisure included Clearwater Beach – the only Florida beach recognized – among the 26 Best Beaches in the U.S. for Sand, Surf, and Scenic Escapes—From Hawaiian Shores to the Atlantic Coast 

Also in Travel + Leisure, and as a result of visiting journalist India Amos, St. Pete was featured in a great editorial piece: https://www.travelandleisure.com/st-petersburg-florida-gulf-coast-beaches-11963985

The MICE-focused FAM that VisitSPC hosted yielded great results:

The St. Pete Catalyst shared details about The Mermaid movie, filmed in St. Pete-Clearwater: https://stpetecatalyst.com/genre-bending-mermaid-is-filmmakers-love-letter-to-florida/

Casey Clark visited the Sugar Sand Festival and produced this piece for the website Brit & Co.: This U.S. Beach Town Has A Yearly Sand Sculpture Festival Worth Planning A Vacation Around

We partnered with YouTube Content Creators Explorcation for a series of videos, including spending 48 Hours in St. Pete: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTbEfTpvTD0

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.