Collier tourism up 6.5 percent in June
Daily News staff | Tuesday, July 23, 2013
The skies may be cloudy, but tourism continues to look sunny in Collier County.
The county saw a nearly 6.5 percent jump in visitation in June.
The strong growth was primarily driven by three of its core markets: Florida, the Northeast and the Midwest, according to a report by Tampa-based Research Data Services Inc., a county consultant.
The county had 128,800 visitors staying in hotels and other vacation rentals last month, up from 121,100 in the same month a year ago.
The visitors pumped more than $110 million into the county’s economy, up 11.7 percent over last year.
Occupancy rose 5.3 percent, with the average daily rate increasing by 3.7 percent to $146.70 in June.
From January to June, the county saw 963,800 visitors, up 4.6 percent over the year. The economic impact from those visitors exceeded $1 billion, up 11 percent from the first half of last year.
The future continues to look bright, with nearly 86 percent of Collier’s lodging managers reporting that reservations for the next three months look the same or better than they did a year ago.
Passenger traffic up 4 percent at RSW in June
Passenger traffic increased by 4.2 percent in June, compared to the previous year, at Southwest Florida International Airport. Year-to-date, passenger traffic is up 6.5 percent from the same period last year.
Last month, 473,208 passengers traveled through the airport. The traffic leader in June was Delta with 120,410 passengers traveling to and from Fort Myers. Rounding out the top five airlines were AirTran (86,167), JetBlue (56,797), US Airways (47,585) and Southwest (42,272).
Southwest Florida International Airport had 5,079 takeoffs and landings, an increase of nearly 3.5 percent compared to June 2012.
In addition, slightly more than 2.2 million pounds of airfreight moved through the airport in June, an increase of 17.3 percent compared to June 2012.
The airport served more than 7.3 million passengers in 2012 and is one of the top 50 U.S. airports for passenger traffic. Information: ww.flylcpa.com
RISMEDIA, Thursday, July 25, 2013—
Existing-home sales declined in June but have stayed well above year-ago levels for the past two years, while the median price shows seven straight months of double-digit year-over-year increases, according to the National Association of REALTORS®.
Total existing-home sales, which are completed transactions that include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, dipped 1.2 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.08 million in June from a downwardly revised 5.14 million in May, but are 15.2 percent higher than the 4.41 million-unit level in June 2012. Read more…
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From animal crackers to gummy fruit snacks and calorie-laden juice drinks, kids in child care are not getting the nutrition they need from daily snacks, according to a new study from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center published online in the journal Childhood Obesity.
The study – the first of its kind to compare meals to snacks – shows that despite efforts to improve the diets of children in child care settings, meals – and particularly snacks – still lack nutritional quality. Snacks, while smaller than meals, are an integral part of a preschooler’s diet, typically comprising 26 percent of their daily calorie intake.
Researchers from Cincinnati Children’s reviewed menus at 258 child care centers in southwestern Ohio, analyzing the average weekly frequency for servings of fruits, vegetables, lean meats, juice (100 percent) and sweet or salty foods. They found that the composition of lunches differed from snacks in all food categories.
Fruits, vegetables and meats were rarely included in snacks, but were listed almost daily as a component of lunches. Conversely, 87 percent of centers served sweet and salty foods – such as gummy snacks, pretzels and crackers – at snack time more than three times per week, but rarely at lunch.
The study also found that: Continue Reading…
FNC Index Marks Overall Increase 0.5% in May
RISMEDIA, Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Homeowners in the U.S. paid a median price of $110,000 for their homes, according to a 2011 American Housing Survey profile released recently. This is an increase of 2.3 percent from the $107,500 reported in the 2009 survey. The median purchase price of homes constructed in the past four years was higher at $235,000, down 2.1 percent from the $240,000 reported for new construction in 2009.
The profile released this week provides information on the nation’s housing costs, mortgages and a variety of other physical and financial characteristics about housing in the U.S. The statistics come from the American Housing Survey, which is sponsored by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, and is the most comprehensive housing survey in the United States. National data are collected every odd-numbered year and metropolitan area data are collected on a rotating basis. The Census Bureau also released profiles for 29 selected metro areas.
“The last five years remind us how central housing is to each of us personally, to the fiscal health of our cities and counties, and the national economy. For 40 years, the American Housing Survey has provided a unique set of data that connects the detailed characteristics of who is living in homes to the detailed characteristics of the homes themselves,” said Kurt Usowski, HUD’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Affairs. “From the American Housing Survey, we can see why people chose to move, how often homes need repairs, and the extent to which housing costs are outpacing income growth. All this information can help inform policy making around continued recovery in the U.S. and in metropolitan areas around the country.” Read more…
By Nick Caruso
RISMEDIA, Saturday, July 13, 2013— The housing market is on the road to recovery and you know what that means: There is more good news to be shared and celebrated in the industry. According to reports from Kiplinger, 12 metropolitan areas fared the best in 2012, thanks to below-average unemployment rates, an improving economy and increased buyer confidence. All of these factors and more are helping transform these cities into seller’s markets:
• Phoenix, Ariz.
• Provo, Utah
• Cape Coral-Ft. Myers, Fla.
• Minneapolis, Minn.
• Akron, Ohio
• Youngstown, Ohio
• Seattle, Wash.
• Salt Lake City, Utah
• Boise, Idaho
• San Jose, Calif.
• Washington, D.C.
• Tucson, Ariz.
This upturn is without question positive news. According to Pat Esswein, associate editor for Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine, there are many positive and healthy drivers aiding in these cities’ turnaround. Read more…
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