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Lodging hits 10-year high
BY MANDY BOLEN
Citizen Staff Writer
It will come as
no surprise to many Keys residents who regularly traverse U.S. 1 that
there were more tourists than usual in the Florida Keys this February.
February hotel
occupancy rates in Key West were the highest they've been in 10 years,
said Peter Ilchuk, president of the Lodging Association of the Florida
Keys and Key West.
And this year
saw a 5.4 percent increase in occupancy over February 2003, he stated in
a report prepared last week.
"A year ago we
were still in the midst of the aftermath of 9/11," Ilchuk said. "There
were still travel issues and economic problems."
Ilchuk and
others also are pleased that the increasing occupancy rates are
accompanied by a rate recovery, meaning more people are willing to spend
more money to visit the Keys.
"The demand for
visiting the Keys is strong," Ilchuk said, pointing to an increase in
the average daily room rate.
Visitors this
February spent an average of $186.28 on hotel and guesthouse rooms per
night — up 4 percent from last year, Ilchuk reported.
The rest of
Monroe County saw similar increases with a 5.7-percent occupancy
increase and 7.3-percent average daily rate increase.
"It's a pleasant
surprise," said Harold Wheeler, marketing director for the Monroe County
Tourist Development Council, adding that the February-to-February
increase is not typical. "We're hoping our marketing efforts are paying
off and bringing more people down here."
Wheeler
acknowledged complaints about traffic in February, but added that the
same complaints occur every year.
"People forget
from year to year how many people are here," Wheeler said. "And every
year we get complaints about traffic, although when you look at the
number of people, 5 percent is still a pretty small amount."
Ilchuk also
pointed out that not all motorists on the road are tourists. Many are
second-home owners who come down for a few weeks in the winter. They are
not considered residents, but they also are not included in the
5-percent increase in hotel occupancy because they have their own homes.
They, too, contribute to the congestion on the roads, Ilchuk said. |
