Airport numbers a promising sign

Could the winter tourist season turn out better than expected?

Airlines added flights to Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers to satisfy increased demand, boosting that month's passenger traffic by 13% compared to the same month one year ago. In October, 532,025 passengers passed through the Fort Myers airport.

“We double-checked the numbers to make sure,” says Victoria Moreland, department director of public affairs for the Lee County Port Authority.

Airlines serving Florida typically increase service in the busy winter months starting in November, but they did so earlier this year than they have in the past, boosting traffic in October.

To be sure, any comparisons to 2009 are easy because last year was so lousy. But the increased traffic is welcome news for a region starved for tourism business. Airlines that boosted service included JetBlue, Spirit, USAirways, AirTran and Air Berlin.

The marketing effort by the region's hospitality industry following the BP oil spill likely contributed to the spike in October, Moreland says. “That message is getting out,” she says.