For More Information Contact: Jannette Watts, 936-564-7351
2014 Hotel Occupancy Tax Shows Steady Increase
The City of Nacogdoches recently released hotel occupancy tax figures from the last quarter of 2014, and they continue to show a steady increase since January 2014.
Hotel occupancy tax is collected from overnight stays in lodging facilities within the city limits. In 2013, hotel occupancy tax generated $695,194.94 in annual revenue. In 2014, the annual hotel occupancy tax yielded $716,675.66 in annual revenue.
From October 1 to December 31, 2014, hotel occupancy tax increased by 8% when compared to the same quarter in 2013, which equates to $13,000.10 more in revenue. From July 1 to September 30, 2014, there was an increase of 10% or $17,612.54, a 4% increase in the second quarter, and a 2% increase over the first quarter of 2013.
“For destination marketing organizations, hotel occupancy tax is how we directly measure success. For Nacogdoches, that measurement has seen a steady growth in 2014,” said Executive Director Melissa Sanford. “The Nacogdoches Convention and Visitors Bureau is funded by 72.5% of the collected hotel occupancy tax, and our operating budget depends on positive figures like these.”
The Nacogdoches Convention and Visitors Bureau is hopeful the hotel occupancy tax will continue to increase in the first quarter of 2015 with the addition of the Big Nac Music Festival and several conventions. “We hosted the Pulpwood Queens convention January 15-18 and it generated 417 room nights, which totaled $2,394.63 in hotel occupancy tax,” said Sanford. “We’ve also partnered with Texas Music magazine to bring a four day music festival to Nacogdoches March 5-8. We will also be hosting the Texas Main Street Managers Training February 10-13, the Texas Association of Botanical Garden and Arboreta annual conference February 27-28, and the Azalea Society of America Annual Conference March 26-28.”
In addition to the Big Nac Music Festival and various conventions, the Nacogdoches Convention and Visitors Bureau has partnered with local entities such as Nacogdoches Main Street and the Nacogdoches Film Festival to promote Wine Swirl and the Film Festival to target markets in Houston, Dallas and other areas. “We’ve utilized our resources to send out press releases to statewide media outlets, and we’ve created digital advertising campaigns for each of the events, which have been very successful,” said Sanford.
While these campaigns are very important there is nothing more effective than a personal recommendation. Sanford’s invitation: “We invite everyone to join us in promoting Nacogdoches and its many events. Ask your friends, family and your social network to come to Nacogdoches, dine in our restaurants, spend the night, shop, visit an attraction and attend an event for some authentic Texas fun. If you’re a member of an organization that has an annual meeting or convention, lobby to have it in Nacogdoches. We have some very unique meeting spaces, and we have a lot of resources to make your meeting or convention a success.”
For more information, please contact the Nacogdoches Convention and Visitors Bureau at 936-564-7351.
