Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel tourism starts the year with hefty bed tax haul

Lee County tourism got off to a strong start in 2018.

Preliminary bed tax collections for January topped $4.5 million.

Collections for February surpassed $5.3 million.

These are 9.6 percent and 11.4 percent increases respectively, over those months in 2017, as the county Tourist Development Council learned at its meeting today in downtown Fort Myers.

Lee County’s tourism promotion efforts run on revenues from the Tourist Development Tax or “bed tax,” a 5 percent levy charged on short-term accommodations.

Tourism is a nearly $3-billion-a-year business in Lee, with the hospitality industry accounting for an an estimated 57,000 jobs here.