If you thought the beach and roads were a bit more crowded this season, you’re right on the money.
New numbers for both Collier and Lee counties show big boosts in bed tax revenues for January compared with the same month a year earlier, and that means more people are visiting the area. Other tourist metrics are similarly sunny.
After several strong post-recession seasons, the counties’ respective tourist bureaus show Collier’s bed tax revenues were up 17.3 percent in January year-over-year to nearly $3 million, from $2.6 million. Lee County’s revenues had an even heftier gain, rising a record 36.9 percent to about $4.3 million from $3.2 million.
Collier County charges a 4 percent tax on hotel rooms and other short-stay vacation rentals; Lee charges 5 percent.
An improving economy, an influx of international visitors and bigger tourism marketing budgets helped to push up the numbers. Another big factor was, of course, the snow and slush up North.
“Bad weather helps,” said Jack Wert, Collier County’s tourism director.
In fact, even the Polar Vortex that happened a year ago helped boost tourism this year, said Tamara Pigott, executive director of the Lee County Visitor and Convention Bureau.
“Hoteliers told me that January a year ago was so brutal, tourists decided to book then for this year,” she said. “And they booked for longer stays, too.”
Bruce Seigel, director of marketing for The Ritz-Carlton Resorts of Naples, said the two resorts have set records this season, partly because of an uptick in interest from groups.
“This was the greatest season ever, surpassing the greatest season ever, which was last year,” he said.
Scott Dougherty, rental division manager for Premier Sotheby’s International Realty in Naples, said rentals of individual homes and condos also was booming in January, and most were completely booked with waiting lists.
And that’s true even though much of the vacation rental inventory he handles is Gulf-front, averaging $10,000 to $15,000 a month.
“When we get a cancellation, by the end of the day we have re-booked the property,” he said.
In Collier County, Canadian visitors rose 34.4 percent in January year-over-year, a county consultant said, partly because of unusually frigid weather north of the border.
But it’s getting harder to find affordable places to rent for the season, said Doris and Ken Byron of Iroquois Falls, Ontario, who were sunning themselves on Naples’ Vanderbilt Beach on Thursday.
Although they’ve been coming to Southwest Florida for seven years, the couple can no longer afford to rent a home near the beaches they prefer in Naples, and so this year they picked a less expensive place in Cape Coral.
“We’ve been spending a lot on gas,” laughed Doris Byron, 72, a retired teacher.
Other statistics for January were similarly positive compared with January 2014.
When it comes to branded hotel occupancy, Smith Travel Research, Inc. reported Collier County inched up 1.6 percent, to 74.8 percent. Lee County jumped 12.9 percent, to 81.3 percent.
The average daily rate charged by hotels was up 12.3 percent in Collier, to $248.08; in Lee, it rose 11.9 percent, to $143.34, the report states.
And revenue per available room was up 14.1 percent in Collier, to $185.51, and increased 26.3 percent, to $116.60, in Lee.
“Lee’s numbers are ‘oh my God,’ and Collier’s are nothing to sneeze at,” said Paul Phipps, chief marketing officer for Visit Florida, the state’s tourism marketing arm.
He said the area’s high occupancy rates are making discounting hotel rooms unnecessary, and also prove that the region’s hoteliers are “pricing smart.”
Though some residents get exasperated over the annual migration of shivering tourists, tourism directors point out that the economic impact of their visits is significant.
Everything from rental car companies to local restaurants depend on the tourist trade — even airport restaurants.
And during January, nearly 855,000 passengers passed through Southwest International Airport, up 10 percent from January 2014.
In Collier, tourists spent about $21 million more in January than they did in January 2014; in Lee they spent $24 million more.
“Those extra dollars are good news for the local economy,” said Pigott.
Looking ahead, almost three-quarters of Collier hotels reported a higher level of three-month advance bookings in January than they did a year earlier, according to a report by Research Data Services.
Noting that about six out of 10 Collier tourists are repeat visitors, Wert said he expects a record season, even though Easter falls earlier this year than it did in 2014.
“We’ve still got spring break to go here,” he said. “That always helps us extend our high season.”
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