Collier County tourism is recovering well from years of hurricane damage in the region.     That's according to as report supplied to commissioners Tuesday.

Collier Tourism Director Jay Tusa told the county board that visitor bed tax collections went up 13 percent last fiscal year, over the previous. The last fiscal year began on October 1, 2024, and ended on September 30, 2025. He said those collections amounted to just under $50 million.

Tusa added that tourism contributed to 27,500 jobs in Collier in fiscal year 24-25.

He said figures also show people are staying longer in Collier and spending more, than in the time right after Hurricane Ian. It struck Southwest Florida in September, 2022.

The tourism agency says a key factor is that commissioners approved the spending of $10 million in bed taxes for marketing during the past year and a half or so. That extra money was okayed, on top of the regular budget for the tourism operation. That bed tax money already had been collected. Tusa said the cash paid for marketing in new places: Denver, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Nashville.

He said it's helping Collier compete against so many other coastal counties in Florida.

"Without those dollars, we'd be at the bottom of the pack," he told commissioners. "I would say:   We are in the middle, with those dollars being invested."

The tourism agency says Collier is keeping its reputation as an up-scale, high-value destination that emphasizes economic impact over sheer number of visitors.

Tusa says this is happening despite a 20 percent drop in Canadian visitors. They've been going elsewhere because of the exchange rate, and tensions between the Trump administration and the Canadian government.

Mike Walcher is a reporter with WGCU News. He also teaches Journalism at Florida Gulf Coast University. WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.