SWFL.io - Local NewsAlex Orenczuk
•8/28/2026
NAPLES, Fla. - Collier County is spending $380,000 a year to attract more international visitors as foreign tourism begins to rebound.
Commissioners this week approved two three-year marketing contracts targeting travelers in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany and several other European countries.
The money will come from Tourist Development Tax dollars, which Collier County uses in part to fund tourism promotion and destination marketing.
The move comes after international visitation increased 10.8% in June compared with last year, the first year-over-year increase since January 2025.
Paul Gladden of England is exactly the type of visitor the county hopes to reach.
Gladden said Naples was not part of his original trip through Florida.
“I have never heard of this place whatsoever,” Gladden said.
But after spending just a few hours in the area, his opinion quickly changed.
“Honestly, it's like the nicest bit of Florida I've seen so far,” Gladden said.
Asked if he would recommend Naples to others in the United Kingdom, Gladden said, “100%, yeah.”
For Cesar and Maria De Gregorio of Spain, Naples has already become a regular summer stop.
“We were looking for a place, a familiar place, in order to stay, you know, in a very calm way and close to the beach,” Cesar De Gregorio said. “So we found this area, and we are very happy, stopping by every year.”
The couple said their trips also include restaurants, Fifth Avenue and visits near the Everglades.
“Here is like paradise,” De Gregorio said. “The beach and everything. We love it.”
Naples resident Barbara Lupia said she welcomes more international visitors, and money spent on overseas marketing is well spent.
“Anytime we meet people who are not us, we learn and we grow,” Lupia said. “My grandson gets to learn and grow from these other cultures. I think it's incredibly important.”
The county is now hoping its overseas marketing push can turn one month of international tourism growth into a longer trend.