Jan. 10–DAYTONA BEACH — Bolstered by the Thanksgiving holiday and special events such as the annual Turkey Run classic car show at Daytona International Speedway, tourism bed-tax revenues in Volusia County increased 7 percent year-over-year in November, according to figures released this week by the Lodging and Hospitality Association of Volusia County.
MONTHLY COLLECTION NUMBERS: Hotels, vacation rental properties and campgrounds throughout the county generated $1,157,767 in bed taxes, up from $1,081,987 in November 2016, according to the Volusia County Revenue Division.
WHY IT'S IMPORTANT: Bed-tax collections are seen as a health indicator for the tourism industry.
The county collects a 6 percent tourism tax on hotels and lodges with half of the revenues going to fund the county-run beachside Ocean Center convention complex in Daytona Beach.
The other half goes to the county's three tourism ad authorities to market their respective areas — the Daytona Beach/Halifax area, Southwest Volusia and West Volusia — as destinations for tourists and special events.
During the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, more than $21 million was collected in bed taxes, including more than $8 million for the Halifax Area Advertising Authority.
INDUSTRY OBSERVERS' TAKE: "Revenue per available room did go up in November, so I was not surprised to see a corollary increase in bed tax collections," said Evelyn Fine, president of Mid-Florida Marketing & Research. She also noted that several hotels were partially closed due to damage from Hurricane Irma and a few were still recovering from Hurricane Matthew in 2016. "With the lack of room availability, we saw an increase in average daily rate and that affected collections."
