DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – This is one of the busiest times of year in Daytona Beach. On the heels of Speedweek comes Bike Week, spring break, and new events to the area.
Even though damage from last year’s back-to-back hurricanes still remains today, local tourism experts said the events are still bringing in more people than they’ve seen in years.
“The first part of the year is always what we call our super bowl event season,” said Janet Kersey with the Daytona Beach Regional Chamber of Commerce.
The local experts said they’ve seen record numbers in hotel sales this year, and especially for Bike Week, a bigger range of rooms booked on the map.
“I would say everybody is just about sold out. The people are even stretching out towards the Orlando and St. Augustine area. DeLand is completely full with the hotels they have there,” said Bob Davis with Volusia’s Lodging and Hospitality Association.
[TRENDING: Become a News 6 Insider]
Daytona Beach bars and restaurant owners say they depend on these couple of weeks to stay open year-round but the stretch goes beyond hotels and restaurants.
“They’re painting, they’re fixing up — putting in fences, they’re getting insurance, they hire attorneys, they employ people so they need uniforms,” said Kersey.
The fans are even more welcome this year. There are still a handful of hotels, especially beachside in Volusia, unable to open completely because of damage from last year’s hurricanes but they’re filling in where they can.
“Their parking lots have been destroyed or their seawall is destroyed, but people are being kind and understand that. They’re taking what we give them,” said Davis.
Even in the midst of cleaning up from hurricanes, the chamber said the area is still welcoming these annual events and adding new, major ones.
Later this week, the Professional Pickleball Association tour is coming to Pictona in Holly Hill for the first time, bringing close to 1,100 athletes and hundreds of fans.
“The facilities themselves are world-class. This was a sport that came up pretty quickly and the Daytona Beach area jumped right on it,” said Kersey.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: