South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Tax on hotel rooms sets new record despite Hurricane Ian
Tourist-development tax brings in $24.4M during September
Even a hurricane couldn’t end Orange County’s run of record-breaking monthly hotel-tax collections, a streak now at nine.
Despite theme park closures prompted by Hurricane Ian on Sept. 28 and 29, hotel-tax revenues for the month totaled $24.4 million, the highest on record for any September, said Orange County Comptroller Phil Diamond, whose office tracks the receipts.
Also known as the tourist-development tax or TDT, the levy adds 6% to the cost of a hotel room or other short-term lodgings.
September was the final month in fiscal year
2021-22, which also was a historic one for the tax.
Revenues for the
12-month span totaled
$336.3 million, the highest ever for a fiscal year, shattering the previous top mark of $284 million set in fiscal year 2018-19.
The next fiscal year,
2019-20, was on a similar pace until March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic forced theme parks to close and led to health advisories that restricted international travel, conventions and other crowded gatherings.
The total for 2021-22 marked the first time in the history of the tax that its revenues exceeded $300 million.
Diamond said the strong growth in revenue was due to a combination of high hotel demand — 14% greater than in September 2019 — and an average daily room rate of $129, a record for the month.
Viewed as a gauge of the tourism industry’s monthto-month health, the revenues pay for the Orange County Convention Center; fund Visit Orlando; and defray costs for Orlando’s cultural venues, including the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, Amway Center and Camping World Stadium.
“While Hurricane Ian caused a decline during the last week of September, the healthy demand levels through the rest of the month, including Labor
Day weekend, ensured an overall positive performance,” said Casandra Matej, president and CEO of Visit Orlando.
She said October figures, expected to be released in early December, will be strong, too.
“Weekly occupancy for Orlando hotels exceeded pre-pandemic levels during every week in October to date,” she said in an email this morning. “In fact, occupancy for the week ending October 22, 2022 was the highest in Orlando since March of this year.
Matej said visitor numbers were boosted by a variety of events.
She cited Indigenous Peoples Day school break, the Come Out with Pride Festival and the Orange County Convention Center, which hosted the Food & Nutrition Conference and conventions for the International Sports Sciences Association and the National Business Aviation Association.
Halloween events at Disney, Universal Orlando and SeaWorld Orlando also attracted crowds.