Lee County reports record tourism numbers
With a record for bed tax receipts in March and another record for airline passengers in April, Lee County experienced one of its busiest tourism seasons.
Lee County Visitor and Convention Bureau Executive Director Tamara Pigott reported the county took in $10.97 million in bed tax revenue in March, which was up 28.8% over the previous year.
“Obviously the largest month of bed tax collection in the history of this organization,” Pigott said.
“When I started with the bureau in 2000, our (fiscal year) collection was $10.1 million. In one month, we collected more. I will add, it was a 3 percent collection but that was one year,” Pigott said.
The Southwest Florida International Airport reported 1.5 million passengers in March, breaking the previous record set in March of 2019 by about 32,000.
The average daily rate in Lee County for hotel rooms was up significantly. The average daily rate in March of $314.59, was 38% more than the previous year. Occupancy was up 6 percent to 85%. The average daily rate for vacation rentals was $362, which was up 11%. The occupancy rate for vacation rentals in the county was 92% in March. The average daily room rate for the months of January through March was $235.29, which was up 29.8%.
“It’s our best season ever,” Pink Shell Beach Resort Manager Bill Waichulis said. “It’s pent-up demand. A lot of the people we are seeing are from the Midwest. They haven’t been on vacation in two-plus years,” he said.
Lani Kai Island Resort Marketing Director Melissa Schneider said there was a large influx of visitors this season. “Business remained busy and steady through this past winter and spring,” Schneider said. The hotel is seeing its regular guests “as well as many new guests who only just started staying with us and visiting the island over the last year or so,” she said.
According to the January-March survey of visitors by the Lee County Visitors and Convention Bureau, 29% of visitors stayed in Fort Myers Beach, making it the top destination in the county. Sanibel was the second-most visited, with 22% staying there. Nearly half of respondents were concerned about traffic in the Fort Myers area.
“Our wide-open beaches and natural attributes make this a highly desirable vacation destination,” Pigott said. “After two difficult years, tourism to Lee County is on the rebound. We are waiting for a full report, but we estimate there were 1.1 million visitors in the first quarter, and local hoteliers are reporting occupancy and revenue growth.”
To reach NATHAN MAYBERG, please email nmayberg@breezenewspapers.com