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NAPLES — Despite not having Canadian snowbirds or European tourists like in past years, one part of Southwest Florida — Greater Naples — is showing a promising rebound in tourism.
The Naples, Marco Island, Everglades CVB reports a strong first two months of 2021 of visitation numbers, “the clearest evidence yet that the destination is in the midst of a strong recovery,” according to a statement. Visitor numbers have been buoyed by an increased emphasis on regional travel, the release adds, with in-state visitations showing a 36% increase over January – February 2020. (While promising, overall tourist tax collections in the CVB district are down -16.5% from the same period in 2020.)
“Even though visitation is down slightly compared to February last year, these numbers are much closer to normal than many would have expected,” Naples, Marco Island, Everglades CVB Executive Director Jack Wert says in the statement. “The major difference from this stage last year is in the decline in group meetings and international visitation from Europe and Canada, which, of course, was at near zero for the most recent period.”
We are expecting to show very strong numbers for the Spring Break period with many of our hotels reporting sold out conditions on weekends,” Wert adds. “I’m particularly proud that our advertising and marketing efforts to promote regional travel have resulted in our fellow Floridians choosing Southwest Florida as an escape, even for just a few days.”
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