Return of the non-natives: Visitors spending again

March madness has hit Southwest Florida. Traffic — on roads and at stores and restaurants — is insane.

But you won’t hear complaints about that from hardly anyone in business. After five years of economic malaise, any spending by seasonal residents and vacationers is more welcome than ever.

“We’re having an awesome season. Bookings are up ... our rates are up,” said Suya Davenport, sales director at Naples Bay Resort.

“Everyone is very pleased. And, it doesn’t seem to be letting up,” said Ric Base, president of the Sanibel & Captiva Islands Chamber of Commerce. “People say they haven’t seen traffic like this in a few years.”

The chamber’s welcome center typically handles 1,000 visitors or more daily this time of year. For the first half of March, traffic to the center is up 7 percent.

These are welcome indicators of “high season,” when demand for paid lodgings — and room rates — tend to be highest.

A good season is crucial: The region’s tourism and hospitality industries can help lift the local economy at a time of lingering joblessness.

In Lee County alone, these businesses last year pumped about $2.6 billion into the economy and directly supported more than one-quarter of the jobs.

Nobody said the region’s guests are spending like they did in the boom years of 2005 and 2006. However, many people think this season could handily surpass last year’s’ numbers.

The big questions:

• Will visitor traffic stay strong through a late-April Easter holiday?

• How will soaring gasoline prices affect late-spring and summer getaways?

For now, though, it’s crowded — really crowded.

Packed beach lots

On Wednesday, motorists jammed the lot at Bonita Beach Park. Cars idled nearby, their drivers waiting for a beachgoer to leave and open up a space.

The scene didn’t surprise cousins Julie and Jenny DeRuiter, both 19 and visiting from Chicago. “People want to get away from the cold,” DeRuiter said.

Carly Bittner, 25, and Joe Trego, 26, of Akron, Ohio, said they left behind a foot of snow last week when they departed from their hometown.