From the Naples Daily News
Collier County saw record tourism last year.
The county had more than 1.9 million visitors in 2019 — an increase of 5.8% over the year — and the highest number on record.
With more visitors came more room bookings and more spending.
Spending increased 8.1% to more than $2.3 billion, while room nights rose 6.4% to more than 2.5 million over the year. Both numbers set all-time records.
“We saw growth across the board from all of the major markets that we look at,” said Ann Wittine, director of data analysis for Research Data Services, at a Tourist Development Council meeting Monday.
In neighboring Lee County, tourism numbers for 2019 are still being crunched. The statistics are expected to be finalized and released in February.
Wittine zeroed in on increases in visitation from the Northeastern and Midwestern United States, saying they were the most significant.
Those numbers rose:
- 6.8% from the Midwest to 295,673
- 4.5% from the Northeast to 360,832
The report reflects overnight stays at hotels and other vacation rentals.
Wittine pointed to other positives in the annual report. From 2018 to 2019 the county saw:
- A more than 27% increase in visitation from Canada to 47,090
- A more than 5% increase in visitation from Europe to 309,349
While the percentage increase from Canada seems large, Wittine pointed out it’s a much smaller market for Collier County, accounting for less than 2.5% of its total visitation. The growth from that market last year equates to roughly 10,000 additional visitors, which she said is still “certainly a good sign,” as it marks the reversal of a negative trend.
In 2018, the county saw fewer visitors from Canada and Europe than it did in 2017. At the time, analysts with Research Data Services attributed those declines to their weaker economies and a stronger U.S. dollar, as well as a fallout from red tide in Southwest Florida.
Red tide in Collier County wasn’t as severe in 2019 as it was in 2018, so it had little impact on visitation, said Jack Wert, the county’s tourism director, by phone.
“There just seems to be an overall demand for travel right now,” he said, “and we certainly are seeing it in Southwest Florida. All of Florida really is seeing that, but I think we are certainly exceeding even the average numbers for Florida.”
Wert attributed some of the growth to a new marketing campaign launched in the fall with a “vacation well” theme, centered around health and wellness activities and offerings.
In December, the bureau’s marketing agency launched a Chicago Winter Takeover promotion, which is reaching Chicagoans as they’re going about their day and making their cold commutes to work. The campaign includes everything from warming stations blowing out hot air and showing sun-drenched scenes at train platforms to branded coffee sleeves served with cups of hot Joe at local coffee shops that showcase the Paradise Coast.
Occupancy falls
Not every metric in the 2019 Collier County tourism report was positive. Overall, occupancy fell 0.7% over the year to 74.7% in the county.
Wittine attributed the occupancy drop to having more rooms. According to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, the county’s inventory of rooms has grown by 533, or 5.3%, since December 2018, driven mostly by the opening of new hotels.
“You guys have had more product to sell,” Wittine said.
While occupancy fell in 2019, it didn’t take as big of a hit as it did in 2018, when the national economy showed signs of slowing and the negative publicity surrounding red tide lingered through the end of the year.
Collier County finished 2019 strong, with a busy December.
Here’s what the county saw in the final month of last year, when compared to a year ago:
- A 6% rise in visitor numbers to 181,000
- An 8.4% increase in room nights booked to 221,000
- A 10.6% spike in total spending to more than $244 million
- A 2.9% increase in occupancy to 76.9%
- A 1.4% rise in average daily rate to $256.60
- Cold weather hit the north sooner in 2019 than it did in 2018, which helped drive more visitation in the final months of last year, from other parts of the United States, as well as from Canada, Wert said.
As for Europeans, he said, they don’t seem to be as concerned about exchange rates anymore.
“The Germans certainly seem to want to travel,” Wert said. “We’ve heard that from our tour operators.”
Tour operators in Belgium and Austria are reporting the same kind of strong demand, which bodes well for Southwest Florida and its international airport, he said.
“The direct flights certainly help but there is a lot of connecting service as well that brings that European visitor to the area,” Wert said.
Another positive when it comes to international visitors? Brexit — Britain’s proposed split from the European Union — doesn’t seem to be having much of an impact on British travel these days, as its residents have grown weary of waiting for something to happen and shrugging it off saying, “I’m taking my holiday,” Wert said.
“The future could change that, when they finally figure out what Brexit is all about, but so far it’s just speculation,” he said.
With more meeting space available, including the addition of first-class space at the JW Marriott Marco Island, Collier County saw strength in its groups and meetings business in 2019, while also attracting more leisure — or vacation — travelers.
While happy with the positive tourism report, council member Clark Hill, general manager at Hilton Naples, expressed a few concerns, including the statistic showing the average age of visitors to Collier County is roughly 50.
“At some point, the 50-year-olds aren’t going to be as plentiful as are the millennials,” he said, suggesting a need for the tourism bureau to continue looking for ways to attract younger generations.
Wert agreed.
“The millennials are getting older too,” he pointed out.
Looking ahead, Wert said he expects to see a strong finish to the busy season, which traditionally runs from November to April.
In the most recent survey, nearly 62% of Collier’s lodging managers said their reservations for January through March were up from a year ago, with 11.2% saying they were down — compared to 24.9% saying so a year ago.
“I think we’re in for a good couple of months here,” Wert said.
By the numbers
Here’s a look at visitor numbers in Collier County by market for 2019, compared to 2018.
- Florida — 686,680, +4.1%
- Southeast — 126,193, +5.4%
- Northeast — 360,832, +4.5%
- Midwest — 295,673, +6.8%
- Canada — 47,090, +27.4%
- Europe — 309,349, +5.3%
- Other — 102,783, +12.8%
- Total: 1,928,600, +5.8%
Source: Research Data Services
To call the 20th Naples Winter Wine Festival at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort in Naples a celebration would not quite capture the fundraiser’s atmosphere.
And with an unofficial fundraising total exceeding $20 million, the outpouring of cheer makes sense. As one of the festival’s founders and trustees Valerie Gargiulo said, the tone of the event is one of “irrational generosity.”
From the auction: How much did each 2020 Naples Winter Wine Festival auction lot go for?
“It’s not about what (bidders) are getting,” she said. “It’s about what they’re going to do for the children.”
Jeff Gargiulo, Valerie’s husband, are both founders and trustees of the Naples Winter Wine Festival and Naples Children and Education Foundation. In the festival’s 20 years, the couple said, it’s grown tremendously. And, prior to the auction, they hoped to break a fundraising milestone of $200 million since the festival’s conception.
With the help of auction lots and the generosity of those attending the auction, they succeeded.
The 20th Naples Winter Wine Festival followed the theme of “Celebrate: 20 Years of Cheers.” It was a multi-day affair, beginning Thursday with a pre-festival wine tasting and luncheon, moving to Friday with a meet-the-kids day and peaking with a live-auction Saturday before ending with a celebration brunch Sunday.
Previous coverage: Meet the Kids Day stars little superheroes, soccer players and gymnasts
The tone of celebration was evident: chandeliers dangled from an air-conditioned enclosed tent full of tables for more than 700 guests. Tablecloths ranged from teals to greens to layered with purple sequins, while live music and cuisine like a tuna and watermelon Dashi with an avocado jalapeno salsa delighted guests.
Naples, Fla. (January 17, 2020) – According to the 2019 Year End Market Report released by the Naples Area Board of REALTORS® (NABOR®), which tracks home listings and sales within Collier County (excluding Marco Island), existing home sales through December 2019 are the highest in a decade.Overall closed sales in 2019 increased 5.6 percent to 10,244 closed sales compared to 9,704 closed sales in 2018. In comparison, the only other year that came close to reaching this stellar sales activity was 2015, which had 10,154 closed sales.
Overall pending sales in 2019 also broke a record during the last decade; resulting in 12,604 total pending sales, a 9.4 percent increase over 2018, which reported 11,520 pending sales.
The 2019 Year End Market Report showed closed sales in 2019 increased in all but the $2 million and above price category, which had a 4 percent decrease to 523 closed sales compared to 544 closed sales in 2018. Of those in this price category, 376 were for single-family homes, and according to a Broker. “The MLS further revealed that 14 single-family homes priced above $4 million closed in December 2019 compared to just 7 in 2018.”
Condominium closed sales held steady with a 1.9 percent increase in 2019 to 5,085 compared to 4,990 in 2018, but broker analysts reviewing the year-end report anticipate closed sales of condominiums in January will be much higher, especially since pending sales for condominiums increased 28.8 percent in December.
A breakdown of December’s closed sales by area showed Naples Beach reported the highest increase in closed sales during December with a 59.1 percent increase to 140 closed sales compared to 88 closed sales in December 2018. Closed sales by zip code revealed 34113 and 34108 commanded impressive increases, 62.3 percent and 61.5 percent, respectively, in December 2019 compared to December 2018.
While inventory fell 21 percent in 2019 to 5,401 properties compared to 6,801 properties in 2018, the Collier County market is still commanding a much higher supply than the state’s average levels (as reported by Florida Realtors®). As such, the Market Report showed Collier County enjoyed 6.2 months of supply in the single-family home market during December, while the state reported 3.6 months of supply for the month. Likewise, the report showed 6.4 months of supply in the condominium market for December compared to 5.5 months of supply statewide.
Interestingly, inventory levels dropped in all price categories except in the $2 million and above condominium market, which reported a 16.3 percent increase in inventory during December.
The NABOR® YE 2019 Market Reports provide comparisons of single-family home and condominium sales (via the Southwest Florida MLS), price ranges, and geographic segmentation and includes an overall market summary. NABOR® sales statistics are presented in chart format, including these overall (single-family and condominium) findings:
|
CATEGORIES
|
YE 2018
|
YE 2019
|
CHANGE
|
|
Total closed sales (year/year)
|
9,704 |
10,244 |
+5.6% |
| Total pending sales (homes under contract) (year/year) |
11,520 |
12,604 |
+9.4 |
|
Median closed price (year/year)
|
$338,000 |
$332,514 |
-1.6% |
|
Total active listings (inventory)
|
6,801 |
5,401 |
-20.6% |
|
Average days on market
|
95 |
101 |
+6.3% |
|
Single-family closed sales (year/year)
|
4,714 |
5,159 |
+9.4%
|
|
Single-family median closed price (year/year)
|
$425,000 |
$415,000 |
-2.4% |
|
Single-family inventory
|
3,479 |
2,678 |
-23.0% |
|
Condominium closed sales (year/year)
|
4,990 |
5,085 |
+1.9% |
|
Condominium median closed price (year/year)
|
$265,000 |
$260,000 |
-1.9% |
|
Condominium inventory
|
3,322 |
2,723 |
-18.0% |
Median closed prices in 2019 decreased 1.6 percent to $332,514 from $338,000 in 2018. Only the $2 million and above price category had a significant increase of 6.7 percent during the year. But, on a month to month comparison, median closed prices in December 2019 increased 6.7 percent to $348,000 compared to $326,000 in December 2018. However, the overall average closed price in Collier County during 2019 increased 19.3 percent to $772,380.
Showings remain on the rise as well. There were 10 showings for each listing reported in December 2019 compared to just 7 in December 2018.
| CATEGORIES |
DEC 2018 |
DEC 2019 |
CHANGE |
| Total closed sales (month/month) |
702 |
929 |
+32.3% |
| Total pending sales (homes under contract) (month/month) |
676 |
817 |
+20.9% |
| Median closed price (month/month) |
$326,000 |
$348,000
|
+6.7% |
| Total active listings (inventory) |
6,801 |
5,401 |
-20.6% |
| Average days on market |
94 |
97 |
+3.2% |
| Single-family closed sales (month/month) |
362 |
476 |
-6.3% |
| Single-family median closed price (month/month) |
$395,900 |
$439,000 |
+10.9% |
| Single-family inventory |
3,479 |
2,678 |
-23.0% |
| Condominium closed sales (month/month) |
340 |
454 |
+33.5% |
| Condominium median closed price (month/month) |
$255,000 |
$262,500 |
+2.9% |
| Condominium inventory |
3,322 |
2,723 |
-18% |
Broker analysts agreed that new state actions, led by Governor Ron DeSantis, to address water quality issues during 2019 made a significant impact in local real estate activity during 2019, especially during the summer months.
On whether an election year is a good time to buy a home, broker analysts contend that stable pricing, great financing rates, and above state-level months of supply in inventory are three great reasons for Naples real estate agents to be optimistic in 2020. Of course, location shouldn’t be overlooked, as well.
Hope to blow out 100 birthday candles?
“I would argue that the biggest impact on how long you live is where you live,” says National Geographic Fellow Dan Buettner, who has studied the world’s longest-living people in “longevity hotspots” he calls Blue Zones. Among them: Sardinia, Italy; Okinawa, Japan; and Nicoya, Costa Rica.
So where in the U.S. can you live to a really ripe old age? You might be surprised.
“People in the Blue Zones don’t have better discipline or a greater sense of responsibility,” says Buettner. “They simply live in environments that make healthy lifestyle choices easier, or unavoidable.”
Some places are better than others at supporting the habits that stretch lifespans. When you can walk to do your errands, you’re more likely to be active than if you have to drive to the gym. Living in a community with plenty of neighborhood groups provides a buffer against loneliness, which can shave years off your life. You’re more apt to eat “clean and green” when farmers markets are nearer than junk-food joints.
What else helps: smart city design (think safe bike lanes, affordable housing), good health care, social opportunities and an economy that sees older workers, entrepreneurs and retirees as an asset, not a drain, says Caroline Servat, co-author of a new Milken Institute report on “age-forward” communities.
We’ve identified eight spots that will help you live long and prosper. (Editor’s note – We jumped to number 4, Naples! Read the entire article online https://parade.com/976846/paulaspencer/how-to-live-to-100/)
4. Naples, Florida
What’s not to love about Naples? The small town (population approximately 22,000) features high-quality health care and loads of leisure pursuits and good-for-you food—all set in a chill backdrop of Gulf of Mexico watersports, golf and sun.
Health props
The Naples-Immokalee–Marco Island area hit No. 1 in Gallup’s National Health and Well-Being Index for the past four years. Naples also often tops “healthiest eaters” lists; who needs sugar when you have white “sugar sand” beaches to stroll on?
Longevity boost
An unusually high number of Paradise Coast residents say in surveys that they’re low in stress and rich in supportive, loving relationships. Having strong social ties—there are multiple retirement communities and recreation centers here—can extend lifespan as much as quitting smoking, one research review found.
Originally published by Parade Magazine: https://parade.com/976846/paulaspencer/how-to-live-to-100/
A broad sugar sand beach awaits your footprints in Park Shore area of Naples, Florida.
By Marisa Spyker March 20, 2018 costalliving.com
We may be a little biased, but we’ve long believed that the happiest places in America are by the sea.
And according to the results from a new Gallup-Sharecare poll, we’re absolutely right.
Researchers recently polled more than 337,000 adults in cities across the U.S. to gauge their states of well-being (including measures of financial, emotional, social, and physical wellness). And for the third year straight, those who reported the highest levels of satisfaction in their lives happen to reside along the sunny Gulf coastline of Naples, Florida.
For those who’ve visited, this probably won’t come as a surprise. From its gorgeous white-sand beaches to its adorable boutique-lined downtown and Old Florida vibes, Naples is an absolute dream of a city. It also consistently receives high marks in terms of desirability: In addition to earning a spot on our original list of Happiest Seaside Towns, it was also recently named as the best place to retire in Florida by SmartAsset and as WalletHub’s Best U.S. Beach Town To Live In.
While the Sunshine State certainly claims its fair share of happy people, it’s not the only coastal spot represented in the Well-Being list’s top 5 communities. Cape Cod’s always-charming Barnstable Town, Massachusetts, came in just behind Naples at number two, and over on the West Coast, the hip surf town of Santa Cruz ranked number four.
Want to see all the top-ranked beach towns? See the top 10 list of happiest and healthiest towns on the coast here.
It just goes to show that no matter which coast you choose, happiness is never too far away. See the top 10 communities with the highest well-being here:
- Naples–Immokalee–Marco Island, FL 67.6
- Barnstable Town, MA 66.4
- Boulder, CO 65.3Santa Cruz–Watsonville, CA 65.1
- Charlottesville, VA 65.0
- Lynchburg, VA 64.9
- North Port–Sarasota–Bradenton, FL 64.6
- Santa Rosa, CA 64.6
- Prescott, AZ 64.6
- San Luis Obispo–Paso Robles–Arroyo Grande, CA 64.6
