3rd Best Travel Destination In U.S. Is Tampa Bay

TAMPA BAY, FL — Considering the best places to take a vacation this summer?

You're already there.

Tampa Bay is rated the third-best summer travel destination in the country.

With nearly 80 percent of American travelers planning trips during 2022, the personal-finance website WalletHub released its report on 2022's Best Summer Travel Destinations.

To help travelers plan the perfect summer getaway, WalletHub compared 100 metro areas across 43 key indicators of budget- and fun-friendliness. The data set ranged from the cost of the cheapest flight to the number of attractions to COVID-19 cases.

Tampa Bay, which includes the Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater areas ranked (1=best, 50=average):

• 18th – Travel costs and hassles
• 50th – Local costs
• 25th – Number of attractions
• 44th – Diversity of attractions
• 27th – Cost of cheapest flight
• 26th – Duration of cheapest flight
• 44th – Cost of three-star hotel
• 40th – Weather
• 10th – Activities
• 2nd – Safety

But if you're tired of Tampa Bay after being isolated at home during the pandemic, the No. 1 best travel destination in the country is only a couple of hours away — the Orlando/Kissimmee area.

The Orlando area was rated:

• 35 - Travel costs and hassles
• 25 - Local costs
• 6 - Number of attractions
• 62 - Weather
• 1 - Activities
• 8 - Safety

Click here to read the complete study.