Visit Tampa Bay celebrated its 30th anniversary on October 28, 2015 at the Tampa Museum of Art. The celebration included a band and throwback menus from the Columbia Restaurant, Bella’s Italian Cafe, Mise En Place and others.
“It’s a big celebration, because we have a lot to celebrate, including that we had another record-setting year,” said Visit Tampa Bay President and CEO Santiago Corrada. Visit Tampa Bay saw a 17 percent increase in collected bed tax in 2015, with double-digit growth in June and July. It ended the fiscal year with $26.8 million in Tourist Development Tax revenue.
Visit Tampa Bay, originally part of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, branched out on its own as the Tampa/Hillsborough Convention & Visitors Association. Other names through the years included Tampa Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau and Tampa Bay & Company. It took on its newest name, Visit Tampa Bay in 2013.