The Naples area has added thousands of jobs in the tourism industry over the past year.
In September, the area had the fastest job growth rate of all metros in the state in leisure and hospitality – at 8.1%. That’s based on private employers adding 2,200 jobs in the sector over the year, according to a report released Friday by FloridaCommerce.
In the past year, several new resorts and hotels have opened, including the Great Wolf Lodge last month.
While tourism has taken a beating from back-to-back hurricanes, the first one – Helene – didn’t hit until near the end of September. Milton followed less than two weeks later.
The impacts of those storms are still being assessed in the Naples metro – essentially Collier County. However, most of the hotels and resorts with damage along the coast have already reopened.
In an email Friday, the Vanderbilt Beach Resort announced its back in business, stating: “We have cleared the sand and cleaned up debris, and the resort looks as if Hurricane Milton never happened!”