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Bay Area Hotel Bookings Fell In January, Report Finds

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By TED JACKOVICS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 24, 2009

TAMPA - The number of hotel rooms booked in January declined 5.7 percent in the Tampa-St. Petersburg region compared with 5.4 percent for Florida and 7.7 percent for the United States, a Tennessee travel industry consultant reported.

Bookings dropped in every region in the state, according to Smith Travel Research. Jacksonville posted the largest decline at 9.2 percent, followed by Daytona Beach at 7.5 percent, south central Florida at 7.2 percent and Orlando at 6.1 percent.

In Hillsborough County, demand fell 4.3 percent to 386,345 rooms in January compared with a year ago, despite the Feb. 1 Super Bowl. However, revenue for the month increased 6.6 percent to $51.3 million.

A countywide boost in new hotels in 2008 provided Hillsborough with a 7.5 percent gain in rooms to 671,708 in January compared with January 2008.

Reporter Ted Jackovics can be reached at (813) 259-7817.

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