Development & Implementation - Intergrated Destination Marketing Research Studies

It is the intent of the Pinellas County Convention and Visitors Bureau, dba Visit St. Pete-Clearwater, to contract with a firm for the development and implementation of integrated destination marketing research studies for the purpose of promoting tourism to Pinellas County.

The St. Pete-Clearwater area is the leading destination on the Gulf Coast in the U.S., drawing more than 15.3 million visitors and 6.3 million room nights in FY24. The Pinellas County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), dba Visit St. Pete-Clearwater (VisitSPC), functions as the official tourism marketing and management organization for the entire County including its 24 municipalities. The organization plays a vital role to collect, organize and report on data that describes visitor behavior, assesses visitor motivations, predicts visitation patterns and act with proactive strategies to build the tourism economy by marketing and educating visitors on the area.

As a tourism marketing and management organization, VisitSPC deploys domestic and selected international consumer and trade-based sales and marketing programs aimed at general consumer, meeting/event planners, sports organizers, film producers, travel industry representatives and other target audiences. These programs all align in brand that ever-evolves based on marketing and consumer information. Our FY25 campaign is one illustration of this. Titled “Ampersand” – we built a creative strategy based on visitor surveys that demonstrated consumers were doing more than just relaxing on the beach. Here is the platform statement:

“As home to America’s Favorite Beaches, St. Pete-Clearwater boasts thirty-five miles of sugar-sand with tranquil emerald, green gulf waters. Most destinations, were they so blessed, would likely talk about nothing else.

St. Pete-Clearwater is not most destinations. It is far more.

It is local fish shacks & world-class restaurants.

It’s 500 murals & unparalleled museums.

Legendary hotels & laid-back resorts.

200 mph Indy Car racing & serene nature preserves.

Idyllic days & electric nights.

Here, the contrasts never end, but they all complement each other beautifully. In St. Pete-Clearwater find just what you’re looking for & then some.”

Under Florida Statutes § 125.0104(9) and Pinellas County Code § 115-32(a)(a)b., VisitSPC is authorized to undertake marketing research and advertising research studies consistent with the authorized uses of Tourist Development Tax revenue.