Travelers head home from RSW as Memorial Day weekend concludes
and last updated 2021-05-31 23:28:40-04
FORT MYERS, Fla. â As many celebrate and recognize Memorial Day, some are on their way home.
Travel experts expected to see a jump as many families looked to get away this holiday weekend, something they couldn t do last year. Itâs been a long time coming for some. Airport staff seeing their largest number of customers in a year and travelers flocking to their favorite destinations.
âItâs nice to be traveling again, to get out of the state of Maine!â said Andrew Simmons, visiting from Friendship, Maine.
On Tuesday, Lee County commissioners will discuss building a new road connecting Alico Road to SR-82. Many people who have to drive out of Lehigh Acres or come back home from southwest are fed up with the traffic. This connector road would stretch nine miles through virtually untouched territory. The big upside is that it […]
Millions traveling to, from SWFL for Memorial Day weekend
Published: May 28, 2021 7:03 AM EDT
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2 million Floridians are planning to travel Memorial Day weekend, the first major holiday since we have been vaccinated and eased pandemic restrictions, and Southwest Florida is expected to be busy.
The weekend might almost feel like the U.S. is turning the page on the pandemic, and the numbers are showing it: the TSA is expecting 37 million people across the country to travel for Memorial Day. At Southwest Florida International Airport, the amount of people coming and going is expected to be at levels not seen in years.
The report based on overnight stays in paid lodging points to a strong recovery from the devastating impacts of COVID-19 on the travel and tourism industry last year.
To that, Collier County Commissioner Andy Solis, chairman of the Tourist Development Council, said simply: It s good to hear.
Here s a look at some of the April numbers, compared to the same month last year, when the coronavirus crisis raged:
Visitors: 159,900, +1,290%
Room nights: 275,700, +917%
Economic impact: $282 million, +1,949%
Hotel occupancy: 82.8%, +910%
While those numbers might seem rather remarkable, so are similar comparisons to two years ago, long before the coronavirus arose.
Comparisons to April 2019 show:
The TSA has prepared for the continued surge in travelers at Southwest Florida International Airport and across the country with acrylic barriers and upgraded technology to reduce or eliminate physical contact between passengers and staff, according to a press release. The agency also has tips for people returning to air travel. The first is to […]