Tampa International Airport has formally welcomed 69 new shops, restaurants and spas in the renovated main terminal. Over the weekend, the airport celebrated the grand opening of its updated shopping and dining program with the public, who enjoyed festivities like performers, music and bites.
Shoppes at Bayshore, opened in November, was the last retailer to join the main terminal at TIA. With 6,300 square feet of space, the mini-department store offers local and national boutique brands, as well a rotating bill of area-made goods from the pop-up shop and specialty items (think smoked salmon or olive oil) from the gourmet food section.
The Shoppes at Bayshore bookstore and newsstand also showcases Toffee to Go, La Segunda Central Bakery pastries and Kahwa Coffee.
On the restaurant side, passengers can now officially dig into dishes and drinks from Four Green Fields, Burger 21, The Cafe by Mise en Place, Cigar City Brewing and Ulele, to name a few.
“We set out to create an all-new experience for our guests and turn the airport into a destination unto itself,” said Laurie Noyes, vice president of concessions and parking for TIA, in a statement. “Our new shops and restaurants reflect our region and better meet the needs of today’s travelers. We encourage everyone to come out and explore TPA.”
These new additions are phase one of a three-part improvement project that began in 2014. The project aims to grow the airport’s capacity to 34 million passengers annually.
Underway since last year, phase two focuses on curbside expansion and commercial development around the rental car center. A new 16-gate airside terminal drives phase three, which expects to start after 2020.
This article appears in Feb 14-21, 2019.