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| By Ilene Aleshire, The Register-Guard, Eugene, Ore.McClatchy-Tribune Regional News Nov. 4--Tourism In Lane County fell again in September compared with a year ago, as measured by hotel and motel taxes. A total of $654,345 in room taxes was collected in Lane County in September, 12 percent less than a year ago. This was still an improvement compared with August, when tourism revenues fell 29 percent compared with the previous year. Room tax revenues fell in Eugene, Springfield and Florence in September, rising only in Cottage Grove. For the third quarter as a whole, room tax revenues were down 16 percent, to just under $2.2 million, compared with a year ago, when the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials sent tourism soaring. Local hoteliers have said the recession put a damper on travel this year, pushing room prices down. And the number of new hotel and motel rooms coming on line exacerbated the situation, hoteliers said. Some have said that, while they have seen signs that the decline in tourism may be bottoming out, they don't foresee major improvement until 2011. Although there were no Olympic trials this year to goose tourism, last year's event did open the door to more sports events, tourism officials said. Among other sports events, the University of Oregon's Hayward Field hosted the Pac-10 Championships, the NCAA West Regional and the USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Kari Westlund, CEO of Travel Lane County, the local tourism bureau, said hosting the Olympic Trials also gave Lane County increased name recognition and interest beyond just sports events. With the peak travel season over, local hotels, motels and bed-and-breakfasts are offering discounts and special travel packages. Travel Lane County offers four screens of deals on its Web site, www.travellanecounty.org, including free meals, golf packages, gift cards and discounts linked to Hult Center events. ----- To see more of the Register-Guard or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.registerguard.com/. Copyright (c) 2009, The Register-Guard, Eugene, Ore. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |
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