With rising gas prices and a housing market that has curtailed discretionary spending, it is little wonder the local tourism industry is not as brisk as previous years. ...more

July 9, 2008

A survey of St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport passengers shows the facility serves a regional market with 50.5 percent of travelers staying outside Pinellas County on their trip, a consultant's report released this month found. ...more

June 20, 2008

TAMPA - Once unthinkable in Florida, the possibility of drilling for oil off the coast got much more thinkable this week after Gov. Charlie Crist, presumptive GOP presidential nominee John McCain and President Bush called for an end to a federal moratorium. ...more

June 19, 2008

Taoist Master Dan Jia picks through the wreckage of the 1,500-year-old Erwang Temple, piling books in a stack and dusting off altarpieces. ...more

June 1, 2008

Earlier this year a task force comprised of representatives from the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce, the city's Community Redevelopment Agency, Toronto Blue Jays and Downtown Merchants Association, plus hospitality entrepreneur Peter Kreuziger, met to consider how to better market the city. The Chamber of Commerce's marketing task force quickly sprang into action. Its members chipped in $5,000 each to pay for 100,000 brochures marketing Dunedin to visitors at 775 travel locations along the Suncoast. ...more

May 24, 2008

A poor economy and higher prices for fuel, food and lodging have travelers re-evaluating vacation plans, Tampa Bay tourism industry officials have learned. The key to success in this year's tourism season will be how well the tourism industry can tap into travelers' perceptions. Here is a sample of what some travelers are thinking these days from interviews at Clearwater Beach and Tampa. ...more

May 6, 2008

The health of the state's economy is at stake if the agriculture industry continues to be threatened by one of the most severe droughts in history. Additionally, industry and high growth rates continue to create increased demand for water. ...more

February 10, 2008

The Peace Corps said Tuesday that it has suspended operations in Kenya after weeks of postelection violence, another blow to confidence as business leaders voiced concerns over the turmoil's effect on the economy. ...more

February 6, 2008

Federico Humbert Arias, Panama's ambassador to the United States, wants you to know that there's much more to his country than a canal. ...more

January 24, 2008

CLEARWATER - Pinellas County's tourism consultant said the nation has entered a recession, which means the tourism industry will become more vital to the county than ever. ...more

January 16, 2008