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July Room Tax Returns Show Slight Decline

Initial room tax collection returns in July show a 3.3 percent drop in dollars collected over the same period last year when comparing municipalities that were also collecting the tax in 2008.

Late reports are still coming in and are expected to reduce the drop by a percentage or two. Through July, collections are down $42,483 from 2008.

Occupancy rates were down 1.33 percent in July, and the average daily rate reported dropped slightly from $147 in 2008 to $144 in 2009. The average daily rate dropped $7 in June from the same month in 2008.

The Town of Gibraltar remains the largest single municipality in terms of room tax collected, bringing in $95,292 in July. Ephraim, Sister Bay, and the city of Sturgeon Bay posted the next three largest returns.

The trends compared to 2008 are not the same from village to village. For instance, occupancy percentage in Sister Bay was down 6.18 percent, but the village of Egg Harbor saw occupancy percentages rise 4.85 percent.

Not included in room tax returns is the increase in visitors camping in Door County’s state parks this year, part of a nationwide trend. The parks saw reservation nights rise by 3,997, and walk-in nights jump by 430 nights through Aug. 31.