Collier County's tourism promoters are getting an extra $5 million to try to bring in more visitors. The county commission voted to grant the extra money after the industry said it's had a rough summer, with visitors spending less and hotels and restaurants laying off workers.
The Convention and Visitors Bureau has said that tourist spending dropped more than 11 percent in June.
So the Tourist Development Council asked commissioners for the money from advertising reserves. That money does not come from local property taxes; it comes from visitor bed taxes.
The TDC already has $6 million for advertising for the budget year that begins October 1. But council representatives told commissioners: that's a small amount compared to nearby places competing for tourists.
The TDC said the Florida Keys organization has $30 million to spend on ads.
One commissioner was not convinced that the need is big enough to dip into reserve money.
"The attitude seems to be: if you have it, let's spend it," Chris Hall said. "And I say, let's spend it when we need it."
Tourism leaders replied that the money is needed now, in part because international visitors are down 10 percent from a year ago. The council said tourists from the United Kingdom have dropped even more: 19 percent, year to year.
The TDC said it wants to use the extra money to expand advertising campaigns in domestic markets that have been strong for Collier in the past. Those include Boston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Philadelphia and Minneapolis.
The commission voted four to one to approve the additional $5 million.
Late last year Collier County also spent an extra $5 million to assure potential visitors that the beaches, hotels and resorts were open after Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Mike Walcher is a reporter for WGCU News. He also teaches Journalism at Florida Gulf Coast University.
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