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Door County Room Tax Returns Indicate Strong First Half

Door County’s room tax returns were up 4.7 percent through the first five months of 2010, according to figures released by the Door County Tourism Zone Commission.

The year-to-date number is expected to rise once late payments from May are included. The increase in lodging revenues doesn’t necessarily mean tourism spending is increasing.

Last year, room tax returns were down just .5 percent from 2008 to 2009, but sales tax returns dropped nearly 9 percent, and when the Wisconsin Department of Tourism released its annual report on tourism expenditures, it showed that Door County was down 11 percent.

In other words, people came, but they didn’t spend as much.

Returns in May showed a .8 percent decline, but after late collections come in, May is expected to show an increase over 2009 as well. June returns will not be in until mid-August.

The Door County Tourism Zone oversees the collection of a 5.5 percent room tax applied to lodging in all 19 Door County municipalities.