Fueled By Tourism, Naples Florida Economy Supports Business And Career Growth

By Jony Mozen


Naples, located in Collier County, is one of the most beautiful cities on Florida's Gulf Coast. Tourism is the largest and most important element of the Naples Florida Economy that supports booming real estate and retail growth, and is attracting all kinds of businesses. Not to mention that the Naples metro area is a retiree paradise. Their large nest eggs and heavy spending add more fuel to the economic growth and speed up job creation.

The ten miles of soft white sand beaches are a big draw for tourists. The Everglades being so close helps too, and so do the pier and a host of other landmarks and attractions. All this adds up to make this city one of the most popular destinations for visitors in Florida. That's kind of a big deal considering that Miami and Orlando get all the families on vacation and the international visitors.

The Travel Channel has voted the beach here as the best one in America, but visitors actually have more choice because there are six beaches in the area. If that's not enough, there are more than 80 championship golf courses to keep residents and the huge flock of retirees happy and interested.

Of course, it's not always been such a feel-good story. This city, the same as every Gulf Coast community in Florida, has faced significant challenges in the past. The real estate crash sent property prices plummeting and millions of homes were foreclosed. The tourism business was completely destroyed when the BP oil spill hit the beaches and tourists stayed away for a couple of years.

By Jan 2010, the city's unemployment rate had shot up to 12.2 percent. It took a couple of years to reverse the slide, but things started improving by leaps and bounds in 2012. The tourists came back in droves, the economy improved and wealthy retirees have once again started pumping money into the retail and real estate sectors.

The Naples metro area now has the largest job growth rate among America's 200 largest metros. The unemployment rate has dropped steeply to a mere 5.4%, and the median household income has risen to $56,759. Predicted job growth all the way through to 2016 has been pegged at a stunning 4.1% annual rate.

Needless to say, such growth doesn't happen by itself. The year-round sunshine, Naples Bay and the white sand beaches are no doubt invaluable assets, as are the Everglades. But it takes a whole lot more than natural beauty and tourists to convince businesses to make investments and create a large number of jobs.

The business-friendly climate and taxation are often cited as deciding factors by companies that locate in this area. There's also the fact that local officials and organizations such as the Greater Naples Chamber work in partnership with the State to help new and existing businesses with everything they need for growing and creating jobs. Skilled talent is easy to hire and retain due to the high quality of life and the work-life balance. This means that people come here to live and work and build their careers.




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