The International Indian Film Academy’s (IIFA) 15th Annual Weekend and Awards generated an estimated $26.4 million in total visitor spending, giving an immediate financial boost to Hillsborough County and making a positive, long-term impact on the destination’s brand.

The multi-day event attracted an estimated 30,000 visitors who generated $19.9 million in direct spending and $26.4 million in total spending. Related media coverage generated 13.2 billion media impressions across TV, radio, print and online outlets.

On the final night of the IIFA Awards alone (April 26), Hillsborough County hotels experienced double-digit increases across all indices, including a 21.1 percent increase in occupancy rate, 34.7 percent increase in average daily rate and an astonishing 62.1 percent increase in room revenue compared to the same day last year. These remarkable increases helped bring April’s hotel metrics and bed tax collections to one of the highest levels in Hillsborough County’s history.

“Based on these numbers, it’s safe to say the IIFA celebrations were a tremendous success for our city and our region,” said Santiago Corrada, president and CEO of Visit Tampa Bay.  “During the June television broadcast of the IIFA Awards, more than 800 million viewers worldwide will hear the Tampa Bay name, experience our rich authentic culture and see the many treasures our city has to offer.”

“We at IIFA are extremely proud of the impact the 2014 IIFA Weekend & Awards had in the Tampa Bay region,” said Andre Timmins, IIFA Director. “This was our premiere event in USA, and every day of the weekend was an astounding success – from the IIFA Stomp event, which started the weekend and drew a record-breaking crowd of more than 8,000 people to Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, to the IIFA Awards finale which more than 24,000 people watched live at Raymond James Stadium. Beyond the positive short-term impact of the weekend, we look forward to building a great legacy with the city, developing business, trade and film production relations between India and Tampa Bay, with an estimated economic impact of approximately $56 million within 12 months.”

IIFA provided Tampa Bay with the opportunity to enter into a new market, host some of Bollywood’s biggest stars and events, allow residents and visitors to experience the universal passion for Indian Cinema, all while creating a lasting economic impact on Tampa Bay.

To view the 15th Annual IIFA Weekend and Awards Economic Impact Report, please visit www.visittampabay.com/research

ABOUT VISIT TAMPA BAY

Visit Tampa Bay leads the effort of economic development through tourism. The mission of Visit Tampa Bay is to create vibrant economic growth for the Tampa Bay area by selling and promoting the Tampa Bay destination. The independent not-for-profit organization represents more than 700 businesses throughout the area and works to ignite interest for Visiting Tampa Bay.

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