Footage of the damage caused by Hurricane Ian appeared on news and social media sites around the world. So it’s no wonder so many tourists stayed away from Southwest Florida for most of last season.
That situation could start to change in 2023-24, said Lee County Commissioner Brian Hamman. Lee County Tourism Development Council. But it may take another year or two for Southwest Florida to return to last season’s record tourist numbers.
“I think there’s a lot of uncertainty about how well the area has actually recovered,” Hamann said.
Still, Southwest Florida tourism officials are doing everything they can to lure people back to Southwest Florida in the coming months, including advertising campaigns in Canada, Boston and the Midwest.
And they want the world to know that most of Southwest Florida is open for business and ready to bring the fun.
“There are so many things to visit now,” says Hamman. “Today, we have wonderful communities to visit right away. Today, we have beaches that are currently open.
“And today, we want you to have a great vacation here in Lee County. And that’s what we want people to know.”
What else Paul Barnes, tourism leader for Hamann and Collier counties, has to say about tourism in Southwest Florida, what he’s doing to bring people back and what the future holds for the region’s tourism industry. is as follows:
Hurricane Ian’s Tourism Impact in Collier and Lee Counties
Although Lee County bore the brunt of Mr. Ian’s wrath on September 28, 2022, large portions of Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel Island, and Pine Island are still recovering. But there was also a lot of damage in Collier County.
“Honestly, all of us in the industry were shocked by the amount of water on Fifth Avenue and what it means for restaurants and retailers,” said association executive director Burns says. Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention & Visitors Bureau. “And then we arrive at the hotel grounds. In the early stages there were many sleepless nights thinking about what the future held for us.”
But everyone came together, and most of Collier County was open for business by December 2022.
“For sure, compared to the direct hit to Lee County and our infrastructure, we are fortunately better off,” Burns said. “That said, there was a significant impact here, and it remains.”
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This story is also reflected in Collier County’s tourist numbers. Burns said Collier County had 1.73 million visitors from October 2022 to the end of July 2023, generating about $2.5 billion in economic impact thanks to spending at hotels, restaurants and more. . This is a 9 percent decrease in visitor numbers compared to the same period last season, with 1.95 million visitors and an economic impact of $3 billion.
Still, that’s not bad considering 2021-2022 was a record year for tourism everywhere in Southwest Florida.
“2022 was an all-time record in every metric,” Burns said. “It’s just all mind-boggling numbers.”
On top of that, he says this past season actually outperformed the previous record-holding season in 2019-20. “It’s a very important victory to be able to outperform what was considered a historic year. We were able to bounce back pretty well.”
Meanwhile, things are taking longer in Lee County, particularly Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel Island.
According to the Lee County Tourism and Convention Bureau’s tourism report, from October 2022 to July 2023, Lee County received 2.1 million tourists, generating approximately 3.7 billion in economic impact. This is a 46 percent decrease in visitors compared to the previous season, with 3.91 million visitors and an economic impact of $5.7 billion.
“Hurricane Ian hit our tourism industry hard,” Hamman said.
Hotel still open
Much of the decline in tourism can be attributed to the destruction and closure of hotels caused by Hurricane Ian. This is especially true on hard-hit Fort Myers Beach, and even more so on Sanibel Island.
Before Ian, Sanibel had 1,438 hotel rooms available to accommodate visitors, Hamann said.
There are currently 36 people.
“Sanibel, you’re going to see a massive renaissance happening there,” Hamman said. “Sanibel has a long road ahead of it, but we are determined to do everything we can.”
But here’s the good news. Most hotels are already open in Lee and Collier counties. More will be coming online in the coming months.
“Seventy percent of hotel rooms are still open and we need to fill those rooms,” Hamann said. “The local economy relies on tourists to come here and spend their money.
“About 20 percent of our jobs come from tourism, so we need to do everything we can to keep tourism strong.”
Things appear to be even better in Collier County. Three of the area’s largest hotels are open or soon to open.
After Ian, Naples Grande Beach Resort quickly reopened at full capacity, Baines said. The Ritz-Carlton, Naples followed suit in July and gradually increased the number of available rooms. And La Playa Beach & Golf Resort recently reopened its Baleen restaurant and is gradually reintroducing guest rooms.
Baines said both La Playa and The Ritz-Carlton, like many other hotels in Collier County, could be fully open by around October.
Margaritaville and Great Wolf Lodge will be a big draw
Of course, hotels will continue to be a big economic driver next season or the season after.
Lee County, for example, is home to the highly anticipated Margaritaville, located on six acres on Fort Myers Beach. Haman said his 254-room resort, scheduled to open by early 2024, will significantly increase the number of hotel rooms available on Fort Myers Beach.
Before Ian, the beach had 2,356 hotel rooms available, he says. As of now, there are only 608 people.
“This will be a significant increase that will bring much-needed life and commerce back to Fort Myers Beach,” Hamann said. “Yes, Margaritaville, while initially controversial, will save Fort Myers Beach tourists.
“And it will be a beacon to the rest of the country that they can come here and travel to Fort Myers Beach again.”
A similar stimulus will come to Collier County when Great Wolf Lodge opens next year, Burns said. He calls the property a “destination attraction” with 500 guest rooms, a 60,000 square foot adventure park and a 90,000 square foot indoor water park.
Haman and Burns said more hotels are expected to open or reopen sooner next season, including Pink Shell Beach Resort and Diamond Head Beach Resort in Fort Myers Beach, Compass in Margaritaville and AC Hotel Naples in Naples. .
Once these locations open, Haman predicts tourists will come. That’s the main reason they stayed away.
“I think the contributing factor is that only 70% of hotel rooms are open,” Hamann said. “Thirty per cent of our hotel rooms remain closed and some may not open for some time as the property could be completely destroyed.”
Marketing from Southwest Florida to Canada, Boston and the Midwest
So there’s still a lot to rebuild in Southwest Florida. However, despite this, most of the area is already operational and ready to receive tourists.
That’s where marketing comes in.
Tourism industry leaders are busy attracting more tourists from Canada, Boston, the Midwest, and other parts of the world.
Burns said Europe has traditionally been a big source of tourists. Approximately 310,000 people visit Collier County each year, especially from England and Germany.
But high inflation in Europe has weakened that market, Burns said. That’s why he’s turning his attention back to Canada, which has a strong economy, where he’s running a ton of print, TV and digital advertising.
“We have now made this the largest international market, and it exceeds all historical levels in the UK and Germany,” he says.
Lee County also has its own marketing efforts, including advertising in Boston and the Midwest. This includes the “My Fort Myers” campaign, which taps into previous visitors’ memories of Southwest Florida.
“We know that the majority of our visitors are actually repeat visitors, people who have been here before. They had a great time and want to come back again.” says Haman. “So we encourage them to come back, relive great memories and enjoy our area.”
More forecasts for the Naples-Fort Myers area
Of course, it remains to be seen how all of this will affect tourism in Southwest Florida. Both Burns and Hamann say they’re hopeful, but they’re meeting expectations.
“I expect next season to be better than this season,” Hamman said. “But it will still be down from the historic highs seen before Hurricane Ian, because there will not be as many hotel rooms as there were before Hurricane Ian.
“However, as we move more online, we expect to be fully booked. We are counting on our team to do everything they can to let the world know we are open for business.”
Southwest Florida is also battling other factors, Burns said, including the economy, rising gas prices, national news about things like red tide and Florida’s “unique political climate.” This includes travel advisories from the NAACP, LGBTQ organizations, and even the Canadian government regarding Florida’s legislation aimed at LGBTQ rights and what is taught about Black history in schools.
“These are just the perceptions we’re hearing,” Burns says. “It doesn’t affect politics anyway.”
Then, of course, there’s always the possibility that another hurricane could hit Southwest Florida. It could change everything.
“We’re confused,” Burns said.
At the end of the day, he says, there are no easy answers about next season. However, there is one development that gives him hope. Ian doesn’t seem to have that much tourist interest anymore. He says research done last season shows most people seem to have forgotten about it.
That’s another reason Barnes is excited about next season.
“I think 2024 is going to be a pretty good year,” he says. “But I think we need to be prepared to pivot and be nimble. Competition across destinations is going to be very intense.”
But looking several years ahead? Hamman says things should return to normal and boom, especially now that hotels are up and running and Southwest Florida’s beaches have been completely renewed with ongoing revitalization projects.
“You’ll have some of the cleanest, most beautiful coastline in the state of Florida,” Haman said. “And we also have some of the newest inventory from Florida resorts.
“And I think you’re really going to see us come out of this with a real boom, because we’re probably going to be the newest and best destination in the state of Florida.”
— Charles Runnells is an arts and entertainment reporter for The News-Press and Naples Daily News. To contact him, call 239-335-0368 (call the venue for show tickets) or email him at:crunnells@gannett.com. Follow him on social media or send him a message:Facebook (facebook.com/charles.runnells.7), X (old Twitter) (@charlesrunnells), Thread (@crunnells1), Instagram (@crunnells1).
