Jovina Huber, the travel agency desk manager for Southwest Florida's Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau, said it is not difficult to help travel professionals target clients who are best suited to visit this region, the Beaches of Fort Myers and Sanibel.
"It sounds trite, but we have something for just about everyone," she said.
The area is most famous for Sanibel and Captiva islands, which deliver a Florida experience that doesn't seem far from the one visitors might have encountered in the early 1900s, preserved in part by having no traffic lights or buildings taller than the tallest palm tree.
But the local tourist board is also trying to market the hundreds of other islands in the region through a marketing campaign started in the fall called "Find Your Island."
"You can choose your island and find something whether you are looking for nature, history or culture," Huber said.
"That's a way we set ourselves apart," she added. "By focusing on the islands. Don't expect a Disneyland destination there."
Some islands are accessible only by boat, including Cabbage Key, Useppa Island and North Captiva Island, where people take day trips for lunch, to go camping or even host a wedding.
"They are very natural and pristine," Huber said of the islands. "They are great for soft adventure, with all the wildlife and different species of birds, and for people into shelling."
Shelling is a very popular activity in the region; Sanibel was selected as the best shelling beach by the Travel Channel, and the annual Sanibel Shell Fair & Show is held every March for the most die-hard shell buffs.
For active types, the region offers power sailing and stand-up paddling and is known for the Great Calusa Blueway Paddling Trail, which winds 100 miles through protected intracoastal waterways and rivers.
Designed for kayakers and canoeists of any level, the well-marked trail guides paddlers to places to see manatees, dolphins and different types of birds and other wildlife. There are also camping sites, parks, restaurants and lodging along the way. Phase three of the trail, currently underway, will take paddlers up the Caloosahatchee River. See www.greatcalusablueway.com.
Beyond nature, people interested in local history and culture can tour the historical homes of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford.
Edison's 14-acre riverfront estate, built in 1886, is home to the laboratory where he turned goldenrod to rubber, a display of Edison phonographs and gardens that have the largest banyan tree in the continental U.S. With 225,000 annual visitors, it is one of the most visited national historic homes in the country.
Automobile buffs will want to go next door to Ford's house, called "Mangoes," which showcases several original Ford cars, such as the 1914 Model T, 1919 Model T, 1917 Ford Truck and 1929 Model A. See www.edisonfordwinterestates.org.
One thing Huber said the area does not offer is the South Beach experience.
"That is not us," she said. "We're a little more laid back, we have a lot more families."
For nightlife in the region, visitors can visit Fort Myers, but it's far from the famous South Beach party scene. It does, however, offer baseball fans who have always wanted to visit Boston's Fenway Park, the next best thing: JetBlue Park at Fenway South. The year-old stadium is the spring training home for the Boston Red Sox and was built with a number of the characteristics taken from Fenway, including the famed "Green Monster" left-field wall and a manually operated scoreboard.
Follow Johanna Jainchill on Twitter @jjainchilltw.