Tampa's Greatest Days Are Now: Santiago Corrada, President and CEO of Visit Tampa Bay

Santiago Corrada was 13 years old when his family visited Tampa from New Jersey and he told his parents they were not going back. Decades later, he runs the organization responsible for putting Tampa Bay on the map for the rest of the world -- and he will tell you plainly: the greatest days are not coming. They are already here.In this episode of The Bay Builds, Santiago Corrada, President and CEO of Visit Tampa Bay, sits down with Tracie Domino to trace a career that began in fast food, moved through inner-city education, city government, and the mayor's office, and landed in one of the most visible leadership roles in the region. Santiago breaks down what destination marketing actually is, why Tampa was a blank slate when he arrived, and how Visit Tampa Bay transformed a city that people in Mumbai thought was a neighborhood in Miami into a destination that Time Magazine named one of the 50 greatest places on Earth.This conversation covers the Bollywood Academy Awards, Brentford Bees, pet influencers on the Riverwalk, the bed tax most Tampanians don't know they benefit from, and a destination development plan that is already reshaping how developers invest in Hillsborough County. Santiago also gets candid about what keeps him up at night: transportation, housing, and the very real risk that prosperity can disappear faster than it arrives.If you love Tampa Bay, work in hospitality, lead a public-private organization, or want to understand how a city builds a brand that actually sticks, this is the episode for you.Listen now wherever you get your podcasts and follow The Bay Builds on Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube.00:00 Miami Growing Pains00:41 Meet Visit Tampa Bay CEO02:31 Roots and Early Hustle03:47 From Education to City Hall05:18 Leading Visit Tampa Bay06:52 Leadership Lessons Tested09:16 Building Tampa's Brand12:21 What DMOs Actually Do15:58 Tourism Powers the Economy17:27 Post Pandemic Marketing Shift21:11 Big Events Without Dependence23:16 How Bed Tax Funding Works26:11 What Excites Him Next26:46 Rethinking Strategy27:30 Destination Development Roadmap30:11 Luxury Gaps and Smart Placement30:40 Leadership Misconceptions32:24 Why Tampa Feels Like Home34:08 Tampa in 10 Years37:57 What Young Pros Need39:25 The People Make Tampa41:30 Legacy and Handing Off44:36 Lightning Round Favorites48:23 Closing Thanks and Wrap