COMPANIES

Tourism looks a little healthier in Southwest Florida, but recovery could be a long way off

Laura Layden
Naples Daily News

Tourism is looking a little healthier in Southwest Florida.

While there are signs of improvement and reasons for hope, there's still a long way to go in the industry's recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. 

That's the message members of Collier County's Tourist Development Council heard Monday through presentations made during its monthly meeting.

While most of the metrics used to gauge the health of tourism in the county are still in the negative, they've improved greatly since April amid heightened travel restrictions and concerns stemming from the pandemic.

The year-over-year declines the county saw in August aren't as big as they were in the months of April to July, although they remain in the double digits.

In August, Collier County — including Naples, Marco Island and Immokalee —had 93,100 visitors staying in its hotels or other vacation rentals. That was down 17.4% over the same month last year, according to the latest report by Tampa-based Research Data Services, a county consultant.

By comparison, visitation was off by 25% over the year in July. In April, it was down by 92%.

"We are definitely making movement in the right direction," said Ann Wittine, director of data analysis for Research Data Services.

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Monthly statistics aren't available in Lee County, but its tourism industry has also suffered greatly from the impacts of the pandemic. The county's next tourism report — done quarterly — won't be out for a few months.

The most recent report for Lee — prepared by Tallahassee-based Downs & Germain Research — shows visitor numbers plunged by more than 64% in the second quarter of this year as the coronavirus pandemic took hold.

August is typically one of the slowest months for tourism in Southwest Florida.

So it comes as no surprise that Collier County had fewer tourists last month than it did in July — when the visitor count came in a bit higher — at 108,400.

Here's a look at Collier's other tourism metrics for August, when compared to last year:

  • Room nights booked declined 21.2% to 122,400
  • Economic impact fell 18.4% to less than $81 million
  • Occupancy shrank by 26.3% to 45.6%
  • Revenue per available room dropped 15.3% to $80.51

"Those are some really good, positive numbers," Wittine said, in comparing them to the severity of the year-over-year declines seen over the past few months.

One metric remained strong and in the positive: The average daily rate in Collier County rose 14.9% over the year to $176.56 in August. That rate remains one of the highest among the county's competitive set in Florida, Wittine said, based on statistics provided by research firm STR.

Guests sit under yellow umbrellas in front of Pink Shell Beach Resort & Marina in Fort Myers Beach on Friday, June 26, 2020. Pink Shell general manager Bill Waichulis said that an uptick in out of state visitors is filling much of the gap in business left by the "non-existent" European tourism this summer.

According to STR, several destinations in Florida saw declines in their average daily rates in August, including Miami (-25%) and Clearwater (-10.5%) and St. Petersburg (-7.2%). 

On a bright note, the report showed Lee County's average daily rate remaining strong, rising by 6.3% over the year to $122.95 last month, despite a 22.1% drop in occupancy.

Related:Collier to send more federal coronavirus aid to community

More:Tourism picture in Southwest Florida brightens in June, but dark clouds loom with rise in coronavirus cases

In an email, Tamara Pigott, executive director of the Lee County Visitor and Convention Bureau, said her agency tracks both monthly and weekly STR data.

"Based on the weekly data we’ve seen thus far, I suspect September — with quite a nice bump around the Labor Day holiday – will be an improvement over the previous two months," she said.

Back in Collier County, Wittine said the county's more targeted efforts to attract Florida residents over the summer has paid off. More than 76,000 of the county's visitors came from other parts of the state in August — with its in-state visitation rising by more than 40% over the year.

Last months' visitation from the Southeastern United States remained almost flat over the year — at 5,027, down 9%, Wittine pointed out.

"Those are very good signs that you guys are communicating with the right people and those people are coming to the destination," she said.

While September's numbers won't be crunched for a few more weeks, Wittine said there were reasons for optimism based on reports her firm has received from area hoteliers.

"For September, they are telling us that Labor Day for many properties was busier than last year," she said. "Last year, we were impacted by Hurricane Dorian and also by red tide through September, so there are some hopes that September may actually come in a little bit higher than last year did," Wittine said.

While that came as good news, Clark Hill, a council member and general manager of Hilton Naples, said the impact might be overstated, as August and September are the slowest months for tourism.

"I feel too that things are potentially looking more positive," he said. "But I wouldn't say that necessarily creates a percentage trend that we can count on."

In her report, Wittine shared other trends her firm is seeing in Collier County's tourism industry.

Weekends remain a lot busier than mid-week, with more last-minute bookings in general, Wittine noted. 

Despite the shorter booking window, however, hoteliers in Collier are starting to see more interest in stays for Thanksgiving week and more repeat guests inquiring about coming back this winter, which Wittine called "an extremely positive sign."

Wittine also shared some of the findings from her firm's latest consumer sentiment surveys on vacation travel.

Some of the more interesting findings? Based on the latest survey results, the percentage saying they've either scheduled or booked a trip since the pandemic hit rose to 52.4% — while the percentage of cancellations is on the decline.

Another bright note? More than 73% reported their vacation experiences post COVID-19 were good or very good.

"We've got three-quarters of the people going out and traveling, having a good experience and sharing that with other people, which is going to help the recovery," Wittine said. "And the people who are more hesitant to feel that it's OK to start making travel plans."