Sports tourism drives $59M impact in Collier County

In his quarterly presentation to Collier County commissioners Oct. 28, Tourism Director Jay Tusa reported encouraging trends for sports tourism and steady overall visitation during fiscal year 2024-25. 

Tusa, who heads the Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention and Visitors Bureau, said Paradise Coast Sports Complex in East Naples continues to generate significant economic impact and local business activity, citing an estimated $59 million in economic impact during the fiscal year from 33 qualified events. 

“While Parks and Recreation manages the Paradise Coast Sports Complex, it still plays an important role in our visitor economy, and sports tourism continues to deliver strong returns,” Tusa told the commission. 

About one-third of participants travel from outside the region, staying two to four days and spending about $150 per day on lodging, he said. 

Tusa noted that weekend tournaments and showcases drive the majority of traffic, with Friday through Sunday accounting for more than 60% of weekly visits. 

“Dining and entertainment events are heavily weekend-driven, boosting business during slower periods,” he said. “Visitor demographics show an affluent, educated audience that spends more and stays longer.” 

The sports complex drew more than 719,000 visits, representing a 12% increase year over year and 83% growth over three years. It welcomed nearly 195,000 unique visitors, averaging 3.7 visits per person, demonstrating strong repeat engagement, Tusa said. 

“According to Placer.ai visitation analytics, the Paradise Coast Sports Complex ranks No. 22 statewide among 164 Florida sports venues in overall visitation and continues to draw from across the Southwest Florida region,” he said. “This reinforces its role as a regional hub for sports and recreation.” 

Tourism remains ‘flat, not down’ 

Tusa also presented data for October 2024 through August 2025, saying tourism continues to be Collier County’s strongest economic driver despite a softening in international visitors. 

Tourist development tax revenue totaled more than $48 million for the period, up 3% from last year and 14.5% higher than fiscal year 2023. 

“Steady growth underscores the strength of our destination, even with record lodging supply and lingering perception issues we had earlier in fiscal year 2025 following the storms that affected other parts of Southwest Florida,” Tusa said. 

Hotel performance “mirrors the story of resilience,” he said, with occupancy averaging 66%, holding steady year over year despite a 12% increase in available units. 

“Our average daily rate, or ADR, of $331.77 keeps us among Florida’s top-tier markets, slightly lower than fiscal year 2024 but still well above pre-pandemic levels,” Tusa said. “The addition of new rooms is expanding our capacity while maintaining rate integrity, which is very important.” 

He said Naples ranks second in the state in ADR and revenue per available room, behind the Florida Keys and ahead of Palm Beach, which “reinforces our position as a premier upscale coastal destination.” 

From October 2024 through August 2025, Collier County welcomed just over 2.6 million visitors who generated an estimated $2.8 billion in direct spending. 

While international visitation declined nearly 10% in fiscal year 2025, Tusa said it still accounted for 286,000 visitors, including 110,000 Canadians, down 2.5% from fiscal year 2024. 

“We anticipate renewed interest in 2026 as global travel demand rebounds and our new international marketing efforts take hold,” he said. 

Following the report, Commission Chair Burt Saunders said he was surprised by the positive results. 

“Quite frankly, the numbers were a little better than I expected them to be because of, basically, the downturn in tourism all over the country and all over Florida,” Saunders said. “Seems like we’re doing a little better than most locations.” 

“You know, we are, sir,” Tusa responded. “We’re flat, but a lot of destinations are down or way down. So, I’ll take flat over down or way down.”