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BONITA SPRINGS — The sagging national economy combined with a hurricane scare contributed to a slow end to the summer tourist season, say Lee County tourism officials.

According to numbers released during a Tourist Development Council meeting on Friday, 16.3 percent fewer tourists visited the county than in August 2007, a drop of 66,745 total visitors.

Tourists who visited the county in August also spent less money — just $111.25 per person per day, compared to $122.50 in August 2007.

The decreases amounted to a 19.3 percent drop in visitor expenditures, from $223 million in August 2007 to $180 million in August 2008.

Karen Peterson of Davidson-Peterson Associates, the county’s tourism research consultant, said the poor economy is affecting tourism all over the country.

“There are certainly good reasons for it and the financial crisis is only one,” she said. “We are very lucky to be holding on to those loyal visitors that we have.”

One factor contributing to low local numbers was Tropical Storm Fay, said Suya Davenport, director of the Visitors and Convention Bureau.

Coverage of the storm, which made landfall in Naples Aug. 15, may have kept visitors away.

The entire state was in forecasters’ cone of uncertainty for several days before landfall and Fay was followed by several storms that formed in the Atlantic, she noted.

“Last year was a year when the weather was quiet, and that perception of hurricanes in Florida was just starting to die out,” said Davenport. “You don’t know how many people may have intended on coming here, but instead waited to see what would happen.”

Davenport said business near beaches remained steady this summer but hotels further inland were particularly slow.

In August, room occupancy rates at inland hotels dropped 16 percent from the previous year, to just 38.9 percent.

“At 38.9 percent occupancy, you’re cutting it close on whether a hotel can even make money,” said Colleen DePasquale, a member of the tourism council.

In addition to fewer tourists, occupancy rates have been affected by an increase in the number of available hotel rooms over the last year.

At least four new hotels have opened in that time and the number of available room nights has increased by 9.3 percent from August 2007 to August 2008.

“Even if we took away all those new rooms, I don’t know how strong we’d be in the inland hotels,” said DePasquale.

And at least four new hotels are scheduled to open before next April, including three near Gulf Coast Town Center.

While the overall national economy was bad in August, publicity surrounding the current Wall Street crisis might make things worse for the tourism industry, said Peterson.

“It is going to be down everywhere,” she said. “This present crisis has got everyone thinking about how they spend their money, and the media has certainly done a good job scaring people.”

A survey conducted by Peterson’s firm shows that less than half of accommodations managers expect this fall’s bookings to match last year’s.

“They’re not too happy with what they see on the books, looking forward,” said Peterson.