Buoyed by in-state visitors, region begins to exit tourism abyss

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.)