Collier County tourism making a comeback after pandemic 12 months

Tourism is roaring back in Naples.

The latest visitor statistics show it.

The Naples area – or Collier County – had an “amazing April,” with every metric used to track tourism from a year ago increased by a staggering percentage.

That’s according to Anne Wittine, director of data analysis at Research Data Services, the district’s tourism advisor.

She shared the good news with the district’s Tourist Development Council on Monday.

“What a difference a year makes,” said Wittine, before going into the telling numbers in a monthly report for April.

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The report – based on nights in paid accommodation – points to a strong recovery from the devastating effects of COVID-19 on the travel and tourism industries over the past year.

Solier County Commissioner Andy Solis, chairman of the Tourist Development Council, said simply, “It’s good to hear.”

Here is a look at some of the April numbers compared to the same month last year, when the coronavirus crisis raged:

• Visitors: 159,900, + 1,290%
• Overnight stays: 275,700, + 917%
• Economic Impact: $ 282 million, + 1,949%
• Hotel occupancy: 82.8%, + 910%

While these numbers may seem quite remarkable, comparisons are similar to those made two years ago, long before the coronavirus emerged.

Comparisons to April 2019 show:

• 9% more visitors
• A 24% increase in overnight stays
• 20% increase in economic impact
• A 2% increase in occupancy

Collier County saw record tourism in 2019, which is why any increase from that year is considered even more impressive, Wittine said.

Similar data is not available for Lee County as the statistics are published quarterly rather than monthly.

Beat the competition

Perhaps April was a little unusual in Collier, drawing visitors here who might want to come early but were waiting to be vaccinated – or just to feel more comfortable traveling, Wittine said.

“So this is not a completely normal pattern, but it is extremely, extremely good news,” she said.

A separate report from tourism research firm STR shows that the Naples area outperformed much of its Florida competition in April, with higher occupancy and average daily rates than most, including Fort Myers or Lee Counties.

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Wittine described Collier County’s average daily rate for the past month as “excellent”. It rose to $ 361.64, up 108% from 2020 and 13% from 2019.

While the May stats in Collier won’t come out for another month, Wittine believes they will stay strong based on what she’s heard through polls of hoteliers in the area. Memorial Day long weekend will help as business looks solid, she said.

AAA predicted that more than 37 million Americans would be 50 miles or more from home for the vacation weekend – a 60% increase from last year.

In Florida alone, more than 2 million people are expected to travel.

Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer. Most of the tourists traveling this trail are likely to come from Florida’s east coast as traditionally.

Looking to the future, local hoteliers are generally optimistic and have few complaints, aside from domestic and off-beach hotels, which still have a higher number of last-minute visits due to the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the Wittine pandemic -Reservations as usual is said to be.

Collier County had 743,500 visitors from January to April. This corresponds to an increase of 27% compared to the previous year and a decrease of 6% compared to 2019.

In these four months, overnight stays and expenses also increased by a double-digit rate over the course of the year. The spending – or economic impact – was close to 2019 levels, exceeding $ 1 billion.

Hoteliers have reported that the busy season, traditionally November through April, turned out to be better than expected.

When Wittine explained one of the reasons for a stronger season, she repeated what a hotelier had told her: Americans, tired of staying at home or being around, just said, “Stuff it. We’re going anyway.”

“Only paradise will do it”

The recovery in Collier partly reflects the success of the tourism bureau’s ongoing marketing campaign, said Jack Wert, the county’s tourism director who runs the office.

“We have reminded prospective visitors in our promotional messages that when the time comes to explore something different than what was called last year, ‘Only Paradise Will Do’. We’re showing those potential visitors the activities they may have missed and that they would like to experience again, “he said.

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Solis describes the marketing campaign as a “home run”.

The linchpin in marketing was raising awareness of the Paradise Pledge, a pledge made by dozens of local businesses to follow all safety guidelines recommended by the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Florida Department of Health to contain the spread of COVID-19.

It helps that Collier County has expansive areas like the Everglades and Big Cypress, as well as beaches where visitors can avoid the crowds, enjoy the outdoors, and reduce the risk of catching or spreading COVID.

Eclectic restaurants here continue to cater to visitors tired of cooking and eating at home.

“Above all, we offer relaxation opportunities for couples and families,” said Wert. “We have attracted Floridians who have never visited our Florida area before and they are now determined to return for future visits,” he said.

“We’re also seeing renewed interest from visitors from the Chicago area, a region that has been declining in recent years,” added Wert.

Indeed, increased visits from Floridians was a large part of the target’s recovery and comeback from the coronavirus. The tourist bureau has invested more time, money and resources in attracting citizens since the pandemic in order to capitalize on trends emerging from the crisis, including greater interest in road driving and travel to the local area.

From January through April, the county recorded 289,160 visitors from Florida, up 79% from 2020 and 46% from 2019.

Domestic visits from the Midwest and Northeast have also increased this year, beating 2019 numbers.

Visits abroad are still too few to be measured as international travel is likely to take much longer to recover.

Group business is also still suffering, but is showing signs of improvement.

So it is holiday travelers who point the way to a recovery of the tourism business here – as in the rest of the country.

“The future looks very bright,” said Wert. “Visitors who helped us recover quickly from the pandemic tell us through research that they are interested in returning soon to learn more of Florida’s Paradise Coast.”