Brian Lowack, President & CEO, Visit St Pete Clearwater

August 2026 —In an interview with Invest:, Brian Lowack, president and CEO of Visit St. Pete Clearwater, highlighted the destination’s resilience and growth, with tourist tax revenue exceeding $90 million for a fourth year. He noted a rising interest from younger travelers and emphasized expanding international reach and digital engagement. “Younger families and professionals are looking for new destinations and consume media differently. We want to make sure we’re meeting them where they are,” Lowack said.

What key highlights and changes have you seen over the past year in the destination’s operations and momentum?

Over the last 12 months, our focus has been on responding to back-to-back storms and demonstrating the destination’s resilience. We’re now closing a full fiscal year, and it looks like we’re going to exceed $90 million in tourist development tax collections for the fourth consecutive year. Ten years ago, we were at about $35 million. That kind of sustained momentum, especially in the wake of hurricanes, is impressive and shows how strong the destination really is.

Clearwater Beach and downtown St. Petersburg continue to shine. Each month, we see steady growth in visitation and hotel revenue. People still want that classic Clearwater Beach vacation, but we’ve also seen a shift in preferences. Younger travelers are showing more interest in what St. Pete is becoming. The Michelin Guide coming to town earlier this year helped put our culinary scene on the map. It brought more visitors looking for top-tier food experiences and attracted new restaurants and talent that hadn’t been here before.

We also celebrated a first for the destination when the JW Marriott Clearwater Beach was recognized in the Michelin Guide. Just one year ago, we couldn’t claim a spot in that guide. Now, both our food scene and our hotel product are getting national attention.

We saw the opening of Opal Sol, a sister property to Opal Sands, which brings another layer of luxury to the area. It offers more than 100,000 square feet of meeting space, allowing us to attract new groups that previously weren’t on our radar.

Ease of access is also crucial. We partnered with Visit Tampa Bay and Tampa International Airport to secure our first-ever direct route to the Southern Hemisphere through Avianca’s new flight from Bogotá. It’s been a strong year, and we’re proud of what we’ve accomplished. We’re focused on keeping the momentum going into 2026.

What is the business sentiment among local partners and investors in tourism and hospitality?

Across Clearwater Beach, St. Pete, and Tampa Bay as a whole, there’s a strong sense of optimism. We’ve seen recent growth in new properties, and there’s more to come. Pinellas County alone has more than 4,000 rooms planned for development by the end of the decade. Tampa is experiencing a similar boom with new districts taking shape.

We’re still known for the classic seasonal visitor — the snowbirds, spring break travelers — but there’s growing interest from a younger demographic. These travelers are looking for experiences, not just a beach. Our region has what they want: sports, music, events, museums, restaurants, and culture, all within a 30-minute drive.

You can also see it in our partners. Many are adding new experiences and attractions, and we’re seeing strong investment across the board. There’s a real excitement about the future.

How are shifts in traveler behavior affecting your planning, marketing, and destination development strategies?

We’re seeing a major shift in how people plan travel. More than ever, they’re relying on social media and digital influence. They watch what friends are doing, what influencers post, and use that to decide where to go. We’re leaning into that by being more present on social platforms and working with partners on co-op programs that expand our reach.

For the first time, we launched a direct booking feature on VisitSPC.com. Now visitors can go from exploring the site to booking their trip right away. It streamlines the process and removes barriers. From our end, it also gives us valuable first-party data, which helps inform decisions and allows us to share better insights with our partners.

As traveler behavior evolves, we want to make sure our partners evolve with us. We’re building a platform that supports that growth and positions the destination for long-term success.

Are there specific challenges or opportunities around workforce attraction and retention in tourism and hospitality?

Workforce development is always a priority. This year, we partnered with the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association’s Pinellas Chapter and St. Petersburg College to create a new hospitality course. The idea was to bring the industry to life for students who may have limited views of what tourism careers can look like.

We brought professionals into the classroom and took students out to hotels and attractions so they could see the full range of career paths available right here at home. Our goal was to show them that tourism and hospitality are viable, meaningful career options with lots of potential.

From our perspective, the best way we can support workforce growth is by continuing to drive visitation. If the visitors are here, the jobs will be there.

How do collaborations with organizations in the arts, culture, and community help tourism grow and benefit the broader economy?

Collaboration is one of our biggest strengths. The diversity of experiences across the Tampa Bay region is a major asset. It’s more than museums or murals. It’s a spirit that defines the area.

We’re launching a new arts tourism initiative in collaboration with regional arts alliances. The goal is to highlight our artists, institutions, and performers and to create a program that promotes the destination nationally. This helps attract visitors interested in arts and culture and supports further investment in those communities.

We’ve also reinvested tourist tax dollars into cultural assets like the Dalí Museum and the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. These capital projects strengthen our destination and give both visitors and residents more to enjoy. The more we attract culture-focused travelers, the more we can reinvest into those areas.

What role does tourism play in supporting other industries and small businesses, and how do you see that interplay?

Tourism fuels everything. Visitors want to explore like locals. They want to find those unique small businesses, the neighborhood spots that residents cherish. The more we drive visitation, the more traffic these businesses see.

Take Central Avenue in St. Pete, for example. Ten years ago, it was relatively quiet. Now it’s a thriving corridor of art, shops, and dining. That growth was made possible by increased visitor interest.

Tourism also supports job creation — over 100,000 jobs in this region are tied to the industry. It impacts real estate, retail, and the cultural scene. When we invest in the visitor experience, we also improve the quality of life for residents.

Through capital projects funded by visitor taxes, we’re enhancing local assets like the Clearwater Marina and ballparks. These projects serve both visitors and locals, and we’ll continue to prioritize those investments.

What are your top priorities for the next two to three years, and what is your outlook?

I’m very optimistic. Our trajectory has been strong, and our resilience over the past year has been encouraging. Our No. 1 priority is to maintain the experience that keeps families returning year after year. At the same time, we want to grow our appeal to the next generation of travelers.

Younger families and professionals are looking for new destinations and consume media differently. We want to make sure we’re meeting them where they are.

Expanding our international market share is another big focus. Every time we establish a new direct air route and introduce the destination to a new market, we see strong results. People abroad know Florida, but they’re looking for something new. We offer that.

We’re also embracing technology. As travelers turn to AI and digital tools for trip planning, we want to be there too, using those tools to market the destination and drive smarter decision-making.

Finally, we’ll continue to invest in capital projects that not only grow visitation but also benefit our residents and elevate the entire destination.