Southwest Florida saw fewer visitors in 2023.
Visitor numbers dropped noticeably over the year, in both Lee and Collier counties.
While the slowdown is blamed on myriad factors, Hurricane Ian is a major one, at least in Lee, as the county is still recovering from the storm's direct and devastating blow in September 2022.
“The decline in tourism metrics in Lee County is largely due to a significant loss of hotel rooms and vacation rentals in coastal areas," said Tamara Pigott, the county's tourism director, in a statement.
At last count, 3,431 of the county's nearly 14,500 hotel rooms remained offline. Based on that calculation about 76.5% of them are open (including new ones built since Ian).
There's a lot more to the tourism story than Ian, however.
Experts, including Pigott, point to a "normalization" in visitation seen across Florida, with Americans now traveling more like they did before COVID-19 hit – venturing farther from home by air and sea.
"In 2021 and 2022, many domestic travelers decided to travel within the country and did not take cruises resulting in record-breaking tourism metrics," Pigott said. "However, in 2023, many domestic travelers went abroad, and the number of cruise passengers reached pre-pandemic levels."
Joseph St. Germain, president of Downs & St. Germain, a tourism consultant for Lee and Collier, said those broader trends impacted tourism in both counties last year – in much the same way.
For the first time in a long time, the U.S. saw a "travel deficit" in 2023, he noted, with the number of Americans taking trips abroad exceeding the number of international visitors coming into the country. That phenomenon filtered down to Florida – and Southwest Florida.
"It was a major shift," St. Germain emphasized.
He shared that he never expected the cruise industry to make such a quick comeback in the aftermath of COVID.
Other factors impacting tourism in Southwest Florida may include "Florida fatigue," after so many people visited the state, or traveled within the state, after the spread of COVID globally.
"I've heard that anecdotally," St. Germain said of the tired of traveling here concept. "Yet, I have yet to see hard data supporting that."
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In 2020 and 2021, Southwest Florida saw more in-state visitors than usual, with many Florida residents choosing to travel closer to home and to less crowded, open spots, due to the pandemic.In those years, the region also saw more visitors driving here from nearby states, for the same reasons.
In 2021, Florida attracted nearly 118 million domestic visitors, setting a new record, in part due to COVID-related lockdowns and travel restrictions in other states. Gov. Ron DeSantis moved quickly to reopen Florida after a brief shut down.
Last year, Florida had about 135 million tourists in total, according to Visit Florida, the state's tourism marketing agency. That'sdown by 1.7%, from roughly 137.4 million in 2022, an all-time record high.
The state saw nearly 123 million U.S. tourists last year, a 3.8% drop from almost 127.8 million in 2022, with industry analysts citing more competition from otherstates and countries as a primary factor in the decline.
Here's a closer look at the visitor statistics for Southwest Florida last year, based on research by Downs & St. Germain:
Collier County: room nights, visitors numbers decline
Visitor numbers fell to 2.75 million, or by nearly 5% over the year.
The number of room nights booked declined by roughly the same percentage.
The occupancy rate dropped to 57.8%, compared to 60.9% in 2022.
Over the year, direct spending by tourists declined by 6.8% to $2.62 billion. Total economic impact was down by 12.6%, dipping to $3.67 billion.
The average daily room rate registered at $308.64, down from a high of $328.35 in 2022.
Lee County: visitor numbers, spending decrease
Visitor numbers declined to 2.97 million, down by more than 29% over the year.
The number of room nights booked also fell by more than 26%.
The occupancy rate rose slightly to 55.2%, in part reflecting a smaller inventory of rooms, due to damage from Ian.
Over the year, direct spending by tourists decreased by nearly 27% to $2.89 billion. Total economic impact declined by nearly the same percentage to $4.63 billion.
The average daily room rate also came in lower, as it did in Collier, reflecting weaker demand.
What's ahead?
Looking ahead, Pigott said: “For 2024, Lee County has a more positive outlook than 2023, but the area will continue to recover from the impact of Hurricane Ian.”
Collier's tourism industry bounced back more quickly from Ian, with much less damage to its hotels, resorts and attractions, but it's not without challenges, including steeper competition and continued economic uncertainty, which make it even more difficult to predict where visitor numbers might land in Southwest Florida this year.
"We're early in 2024, and it's an election year," St. Germain said. "There is a lot of things that can affect decision-making when it comes to travel. We'll see how it goes."
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: SW Florida saw fewer tourists in 2023, area faces more competition
