Miami (WFOR) — Even with tight COVID-19 restrictions and a scaled-down fan experience, football fans will be flocking to Tampa for a chance to be part of Super Bowl 55.
But the city’s metro area, like almost everywhere else around the country, is home to a sagging economy because of the pandemic.
“The bottom fell out. We had conventions, events like WrestleMania scheduled to come, the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament. All those things went away immediately,” said Santiago Corrada, CEO of Visit Tampa Bay.
Corrada, the President of Visit Tampa Bay, says county hotel occupancy is down by about 20 percent, and the city has been on the receiving end of poor timing.