Last year, the Transient Room Tax in Summit County may have generated about $3.5 million.
Room tax revenue collected for the first three quarters of 2010 jumped about 17 percent from the year before, an increase of roughly $450,000, said Bill Malone, executive director of the Park City Chamber/Bureau.
“All three quarters were up,” Malone said.
In Summit County, the Transient Room Tax is charged to those who rent nightly lodging.
“We’re still significantly down from 2007,” Malone said. “At our height we were close to $5 million.”
Much of the revenue the Transient Room Tax generates gets spent promoting tourism in Summit County. NBC affiliates in New York City, Los Angeles and San Diego currently have hundreds of television advertisements that tout skiing in the Park City area.
Since 2009, hotel occupancy rates have increased in the Park City area, according to Malone.
“We seem to be up in terms of bookings It bodes very, very well in terms of occupancy,” Malone said. “We experienced double-digit occupancy increases during the holidays.”
But lodging rates remain low, he said.
“It’s a great time to be a consumer looking for a room in Summit County,” Malone said. “It’s a tough time to be in the lodging business.”
Park City is also improving in terms of the number of international visitors.
Malone said more travelers are coming to Summit County from New Zealand and Spain.
“We’re tracking very well in terms of sales this year for international,” Malone said.