May tourism in Pinellas County breaks all-time record

CLEARWATER BEACH, Fla. - They live in New Jersey, but the Mullin family vacations in Clearwater Beach.

"I came to visit with Grandma and Grandpa. It's our first time travelling down here in a car -- 20 hours -- but they were great," said Jacyln Mullin who has three-and-a-half-year-old twins, Cayla and Zack.

The drive from Arkansas was long too, but Peggy Watson will spend part of a Christian mission trip relaxing in Pinellas County.

"We rented a car and the guy told us that this was the best beach to come to," explained Peggy Watson, who is staying in Orlando.

These are the types of tourists who helped Pinellas County set an all-time record for May. Tourism officials say it was the best May on the books, bringing in more than $4-million in revenue. March boasted the second-highest tourism take in county history.

"These are two very clear indicators that tourism is coming roaring back right now. We still have the rest of the summer to go. We're concerned about what oil prices may do, about what the instability in Europe might do, but right now things are looking good," said David Downing with VisitSt.PeteClearwater.com.

One simple explanation is locals who have rolled up their pants, kicked off their shoes, and gone to the beach instead of vacationing out of town.

Downing says locals are booking weekend hotels. Tourism officials are encouraging the idea launching a new ad campaign called '100-Days of Summer'.

You can find out more by visiting www.visitstpeteclearwater.com .