Central West.

Striking peach sunsets that illuminate the sky over the Gulf are enough to make tourists fall in love with the central west region of Florida. Of course, many other seductions can be found here as well - the cozy, seaside villages of Cedar Key and Port Charlotte Beach; the rich, cultural tapestry of Tarpon Springs; the scattering of natural preserves; and the cosmopolitan allure of St. Petersburg and Tampa.

In Tampa, renovations to existing hotels are going strong. The Best Western Resort at Busch Gardens is in the midst of renovations that include remodeling boardrooms and bathrooms and redesigning a ballroom. The Hyatt Regency Westshore recently finished ballroom and guest-room renovations. The Quality Hotel Airport Plaza completed a 2,700-square-foot ballroom and the refurbishment of existing banquet and meeting rooms last December. Nearby, the Ramada Airport Inn and Conference Center will add a business center by the end of 1997.

For fun in the sun, Busch Gardens will open the Edge of Africa exhibit this summer, its largest expansion ever. Visitors will have greater access to the more than 2,800 animals, including hippos, giraffes, lions, baboons, and crocodiles. Guests can visit themed areas that include an African village populated by hyenas, a nearby fishing village housing hippos and various species of fish, and a safari encampment overrun by lions. This intense safari experience follows on the heels of the 1996 opening of the Egypt exhibit, which features the world's largest inverted roller coaster.

The New York Yankees Spring Training Facility, which opens this spring, will be used for spring training, the minor league Tampa Yankees, and rookie league seasons. The facility will also be available for meeting and convention functions.

The Tampa Bay History Center, featuring exhibits depicting the city's history, now occupies a 6,000-square-foot interim site at the Tampa Convention Center Annex while preparations are made for a permanent facility.

The Thunder Dome, which changed its name to Tropicana Field, will be closed for 18 months while undergoing a $62 million renovation. It will reopen in 1998 as the home of the new Tampa Bay Devil Rays baseball team and will be available for conventions and large conferences.

At Tampa International Airport, three new levels are being added to the long-term parking garage along with a $20 million makeover of the main terminal. Renovations are scheduled to be completed by this fall.

In the St. Petersburg-Clearwater area, the downtown Harborview Center - the newest small-to-mid-sized addition on the central west coast - celebrates its first anniversary in 1997. The Doubletree Resort Surfside on Clearwater Beach just completed an $8 million renovation. In addition, the Sheraton Sand Key Resort recently completed work on meeting spaces and guestrooms. With 10 acres of private beach, one of the resort's highlights is the rooftop sitting area that faces the water - a perfect spot for appetizers and drinks in the evening.

The Don CeSar Beach Resort and Spa on St. Petersburg Beach has purchased another beachfront property one-half mile north - The Don CeSar Beach House. The condominium suites and small convention facilities provide a retreat-style setting away from the hustle and bustle of the hotel. All guests will receive complete benefits of the flagship property, plus complimentary transportation to and from the resort.

The Salvador Dali Museum offers an interesting space for private, off-site functions; the back-room gallery space is available for events, and the entire museum can be opened for tours.

Further south in Bradenton, the Powel Crosley Museum of the American Entrepreneur - housed in an elaborate 1920s mansion on Sarasota Bay - is now open for meetings and corporate retreats, even though the extensive collection is not scheduled to be completed until the year 2000. In addition, Bradenton's Municipal Auditorium and Manatee Convention Center cater to small and mid-sized groups.

The new Comedy Hall of Fame, featuring such memorabilia as the outfits and written material of legendary comics, could open as early as Labor Day. The Legacy, Arnold Palmer's newest golf course and one of the premier public courses in the country, is also scheduled to open this summer and will offer plenty of space for off-site meetings and team-building exercises. The Bollettieri Sports Academy, one of America's top sports academies, offers programs in virtually every sport as well as group team-building exercises.

Brooker Creek Preserve, near Tarpon Springs, will be developed into a major eco-tourism attraction and nature-learning center. Within approximately 400 acres of the 8,000-acre preserve, boardwalks and public facilities will enable visitors to venture into this wilderness to enjoy the many birds, native animals, vegetation, and natural habitats. The cornerstone of the attraction will be a 12,000-square-foot, $5 million environmental education center.

The outlying areas of Tampa Bay are ideal for pre- and post-meeting excursions. For example, Caladesi Island, accessible only by boat, offers 600 acres of pristine barrier reef to explore, while Tarpon Springs north of St. Petersburg features cozy Greek restaurants and sponge diving tours.

Highlights...

* The Guinness Book of World Records credits St. Petersburg with the longest run of consecutive sunny days - 768 days from February 9, 1967, to March 17, 1969.

* Tampa will host the 35th Super Bowl in 2001. A new community stadium will be built as the new home for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Tampa Bay Mutiny, and the University of South Florida Bulls.