Here in Lee County things are rapidly getting back to normal. The latest numbers released from the TDC are from April, which shows just how much things have turned around in a year.
Of course April 2020 was hit hard by COVID so last years numbers are heavily skewed by the pandemic. According to the Lee County Tourist Development Council, $5.7 million was collected from the bed tax in April, up from $442,344 in 2021. That’s an increase of 1182% from April 2020.
Taking a look at hotel data…the average daily rate for a hotel in Lee County jumped from $76.61 in April 2020 to $190.35 in Aril of this year, an increase of 148.5%.
The rate for a vacation rental is also up in a big way. You may recall vacation rentals too a little longer than hotels to open back in 2020 when the Governor asked each county to put together a plan before allowing them to reopen.
In April of 2020 the average daily rate for a rental was $158. in April of this year the rate is $268 per night. An increase of 70%.
During April 2021, 1,107,004 passengers traveled through Southwest Florida International Airport, an increase of 1973.9% compared to April 2020. Year-to-date, passenger traffic is up 12