PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. – As Tampa Bay communities continue to recover from back-to-back hurricanes, the area is entering what tourism officials call the ‘shoulder season’, or the time between off-season and peak travel season.
For many of the beachside cities that thrive on tourism, it’s about striking a balance between welcoming visitors and having the time and space to clean up and rebuild.
Brian Lowack, President of Visit St. Pete-Clearwater, says the status of each beachside city is different and they’re all recovering at their own pace.
“While we were damaged we weren’t destroyed,” he said. “A lot of people are going to be really surprised is how quickly we rebound from these storms.”
Lowack says at this point in time, beach access still varies individually based on each community. He recommends checking the beach conditions online before heading out, or calling Visit St. Pete Clearwater for insight as to a specific beach location. Residents have been out walking on some of Pinellas County beaches, while others are still filled with debris and not safe for public access yet.
If you have a trip booked this fall, Lowack recommends you call your hotel or accommodation directly and use this as an opportunity explore other parts of Pinellas County.
“If you have plans already in place we recommend that you call and check with your in accommodations provider and get advice directly from them,” he said. “But this is a really good opportunity for folks to come down here and explore parts of the destination they haven’t seen before.”
Many businesses and restaurants in downtown St. Petersburg are open and welcoming visitors, including the St. Pete Pier.
A survey conducted this week by Visit St. Pete Clearwater showed that out of 118 hotels and accommodations in Pinellas County, 64% are fully open, 13% are partially open, and 23% remain closed. Of the closed properties, 5 expect to open in the next two weeks and 3 more in November. About 16% of hotels reported major hurricane damage.
Hundreds of thousands of people visit Pinellas County’s beach communities annually as part of their family traditions. Some families have already canceled their fall trips and it’s not clear what type of hit that could have to these tourist-based economies.
Greg Zielinski and his family were scheduled to travel down from Ohio this week, but decided to cancel their trip until they can get a clearer idea of what the area looks like.
“Just kind of talking to people down there and assessing the damage from here, from what we’ve seen it looked pretty bad,” he said. “We just kind of waited until last minute before we lose everything and just decided to cancel altogether.”
Passenger numbers at Tampa International Airport were down slightly this week, as compared to the same time period last year. The most recent passenger data available shows that on October 16 of 2024, the airport saw 60,138 passengers. On the same date in 2023, the airport had 69,648 passengers.
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