PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — Colombian travel influencer Milena Lopez is bringing international attention to Pasco County, Florida, through her Instagram account, @smilelopez, where she shares lifestyle and travel content with her 1.8 million followers.
“Here I am in Turkey, Istanbul. Now, here in New York,” Lopez said. “My focus is lifestyle travel, just enjoying life.”
Her latest adventure takes her scalloping in the Gulf waters off Pasco County — a unique experience for her and her Colombian audience.
“That kind of activity is not common in Colombia. So, for us it’s something new, a new experience,” Lopez said.
Pasco County’s tourism agency, Florida’s Sports Coast, is expanding its outreach beyond the United States, targeting markets in South America like Colombia, Brazil, Chile, and Argentina. Direct flights from Bogotá to Tampa have made the region more accessible to Colombian travelers.
“The U.S. is still the most important destination for Colombians,” Lopez said. “So I am showing them there is another place besides Miami and Orlando — different, like Pasco.”
Tourism officials say they’re not trying to compete with nearby destinations like Orlando or Clearwater Beach. Instead, they hope international visitors will include Pasco in their Florida itineraries.
“For them, having this new market is great,” said Consuelo Sanchez, deputy tourism director with Florida’s Sports Coast. “Especially for travel agents, they are having new offerings because people don’t want to keep going every single year to the same place.”
Pasco has already seen success with international partnerships. A collaboration with one of Chile’s largest youth sports organizations brought more than 100 families to the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus for a soccer tournament.
“You can come for two days to Tampa, then visit the beaches in St. Petersburg/Clearwater,” Sanchez said. “Then you can come and enjoy skydiving, the largest crystal lagoon in the country in Wesley Chapel, and spend a few days here — have a whole experience.”
Tourism officials say 2024 was nearly a record year, with visitors generating more than $985 million in economic impact for the county.
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