ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Jan. 14, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- David Downing, President & CEO of Visit St. Pete/Clearwater (VSPC), a department of the Pinellas County Government and the official tourism marketing and management organization for the St. Pete/Clearwater area announced today that effective February 1, 2019, he will be moving to private enterprise. Downing will assume a partnership stake in a Tampa Bay area-based hospitality development enterprise.
David Downing assumed the CEO position of VSPC in 2014, after being Deputy Director for 5 years, and their Corporate Communications Manager for 2 years. Recognized as one of 2018-19 Top 25 Extraordinary Minds in Hospitality, Sales, Marketing and Revenue Optimization by the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI), Downing has garnered recognition and accolades for creativity and innovation in advertising, digital marketing, and public relations.
"I am honored to have been part of a Visit St Pete Clearwater team that brought tourism marketing to new heights over the last 12 years. Tourism is the number one economic generator in Pinellas County, employing some 104,000 residents with an annual total economic impact of about $11 billion and our marketing strategy was a driving force in the prosperity of our community," said Downing.
During Downing's tenure as President & CEO of VSPC, the Tourist Development Tax ("Bed Tax") in Pinellas County grew by 70% percent, reaching nearly $60 million in 2018 - which translates to $1 billion in rooms sales - putting Pinellas among the highest grossing tourism destinations in Florida. Significant transformation and growth were seen throughout the county as a result of the increases in tourism and Downing led changes to improve operations and marketing. This year alone, incremental visits generated more than $52M in spending that would not have occurred without the VSPC marketing and media efforts.
Since 2014, he has been a constant fixture on the Tampa Bay Times and Tampa Bay Business Journal People to Watch List and has served on the Board of US Travel Association. Specific initiatives under his leadership were the Beaches of Orlando ("West Coast Best Coast") marketing campaign, expansion of a massive New York City target marketing campaign and support of Tampa International's air service development across Europe, Latin America, and the West Coast of the United States. Downing has also served on various Visit Florida committees for more than a decade.
Downing leaves VSPC well positioned to continue to attract tourists to the region and says he is looking forward to joining the private sector to continue promoting the tourism industry in the Tampa Bay Area.
About David Downing
David Downing was the President & CEO of Visit St. Pete/Clearwater, which is the official Destination Marketing Organization for Pinellas County, the most popular destination on America's Gulf Coast. Downing oversaw some 50 full-time in-house staff, along with international sales and PR representation in the United Kingdom, Central Europe, Latin America, and China and an annual operating budget of more than $39 million. He has helped lead Visit St. Pete/Clearwater into record-breaking Tourist Development Tax collections. He is a member of the U.S. Travel Association's Board of Directors. Before joining Visit St. Pete/Clearwater in 2007, he worked in tourism marketing and publishing in New York City for more than a decade, first with Fodor's/Random House and then at Zagat Survey. He holds a Masters Degree from UNC-Chapel Hill and a Certified Destination Marketing Executive (CDME) certification from Destination Marketing Association International (now known as Destinations International).
Additional Press Contact: David Downing
Phone: (917) 528-8956
Email: [email protected]
SOURCE Visit St. Pete Clearwater
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