Visitor metrics up across key measures; St. Germain Research presents March and quarter trends

Joseph St. Germain, president of St. Germain Research, presented March 2026 visitor metrics to the Collier County Tourist Development Council, reporting increases across visitation, direct spend, room nights, average daily rate (ADR) and revenue per available room (RevPAR) compared with the previous year.

St. Germain highlighted that March occupancy rose to 76.5% and RevPAR grew about 14%, and he noted the quarter-to-date and fiscal-year-to-date metrics were also improved versus comparable periods in 2025. He described the primary origin markets for visitors as Florida, the Midwest and the Northeast and said median visitor income increased year-over-year (reported in the presentation as rising from $162,000 to $189,000 for the quarter).

On international travel, St. Germain said March held steady relative to recent months with only a slight dip in some markets. He called the mixed results “not all sunshine and lollipops,” noting that recovery and performance vary by market and that calendar shifts (for example, timing of spring break) influence quarter-to-quarter comparisons.

Board members asked about Canadian and European sentiment, calendar-shift effects and the split between drive and fly visitors; St. Germain said drive versus fly was about 50–50 for the market and recommended deeper research to isolate geopolitical versus cyclical factors for international declines.

“Jan–Mar 2026 exceeded Jan–Mar 2025 across all your metrics,” he said when reviewing the quarter. The presentation will be added to the tourism team’s reporting materials for future use and deeper analysis.