HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Tens of thousands of people are expected to flood downtown Tampa for Gasparilla weekend, and with that invasion of pirates comes a boom in business to the restaurants, hotels, and bars in the area.
“I’ll be honest, I mean the night before, I don’t think I sleep,” said Allison Dougherty, the owner at District Tavern in Channelside.
Dougherty will tell you it’s by far the busiest weekend of the year.
“You would think New Year’s Eve is busy or St. Patrick’s Day, but no,” said Dougherty. “It’s definitely Gasparilla.”
It requires weeks and weeks of planning, stocking up, and staffing up, all to prepare for a tidal wave of business.
“It’s a big financial impact,” said Dougherty. “We look forward to it every year. It kind of kicks off that first quarter with a big bang because Florida, with our season here, after the holidays, it kind of trickles down, then you go into a summer which is a little bit of a slump for businesses in the area.”
Visit Tampa Bay shared numbers on hotel occupancy and revenue during Gasparilla last year. That Friday, they reported a nearly 80 percent occupancy and more than $3.3 million in revenue, while on Saturday, Gasparilla an about 85 percent hotel occupancy and more than $3.8 million in revenue.
“We are sold out, 100 percent,” said Heather French, the Director of Sales and Marketing at Hotel Tampa Riverwalk.
French said people come in from all over the country and pack in local hotels.
“It’s not just Floridians,” said French. “I have people here from Chicago, from the east coast, west coast. Everyone comes down for it.”
With endless hours of preparation, businesses hope it all pays off in a big way.
“No plans Monday. Maybe a massage!” said Dougherty.
