Tampa Bay gets ready for GOP
The Tampa Bay area has had four Super Bowls and a World Series held there. But another major event is coming up this year when the Republican National Convention is held Aug. 27-30.
Many eyes are now on politics with the state’s holding their various primaries but the August convention will bring in up to 50,000 attendees with an economic impact of up to $200 million, according to CVB estimates.
So what is the area doing to prepare for it?
“The town is really sprucing up,” said Travis Claytor, communications manager for Tampa Bay & Company. “There are beautification projects throughout the area to make sure we put our best foot forward.”
—The main facility where the convention itself will be hosted, the Tampa Bay Times Forum recently completed a $40 million renovation that replaced all 19,000-plus seats, added a 10,000-square-foot outdoor party deck, boosted the indoor lighting and upgraded the luxury suites.
—There will be new shopping and dining venues in remodeled downtown promenades along the river.
—Popular attractions will include the Florida Aquarium and the Challenside Bay Plaza shopping center.
—Latin-flavored Ybor City, a stop on Tampa’s streetcar once known for its local cigar-maker, should be a popular spot. Today, it features art shops and a variety of restaurants.
The Tampa area has about 24,000 hotel rooms with 2500 of them in the downtown convention area.
By David Wilkening
David
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