After consecutive annual declines in visitors, Pinellas tourism officials are expecting a slight uptick for next year's peak spring season.

"We're going to show growth, not double-digit," said Walter Klages, who conducts visitor research for the county.

Tourism experts predict vacation travel nationally will perk up next year. But they expect group meeting and convention business will continue to drop until 2011.

Through October, just over 4.3 million visitors spent at least one night in Pinellas - down 200,000 or 4.4 percent from a year earlier.