Arkansas Tourism Ticker: 2% tourism tax up, other data moderates

Arkansas’ 2% tourism tax revenue between January and February was $3.4 million, up 8.7% compared with $3.129 million in the same period of 2023. Revenue in each of the first two months of 2024 set a new record, with those gains compared to record numbers in 2023.

The total 2023 tourism tax revenue was $25.446 million, up 5.8% from $24.049 million in 2022. Revenue in each month of 2023 set a new record, with gains compared to record numbers in 2022. A record for monthly collections was set in June 2023 with $2.71 million.

January-February 2024 hospitality tax collections among 17 cities surveyed for the Arkansas Tourism Ticker were up 5.07% compared with the same period in 2022.

The Arkansas Tourism Ticker is managed by Talk Business & Politics and sponsored by the Arkansas Hospitality Association. The ticker uses the following three measurements to review the health of the state’s tourism industry.
• Hospitality tax collections – prepared food tax and lodging tax – of 17 Arkansas cities (cities listed below, along with collections for each city);
• Tourism sector employment numbers as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; and
• Collections of Arkansas’ 2% statewide tourism tax.

Results for the January-February 2024 Tourism Ticker report are:
• 1.55% increase
Hospitality tax revenue in January-February 2024 among 17 Arkansas cities reviewed for the Arkansas Tourism Ticker compared with the same period in 2023

• 8.7% increase
Collections of Arkansas’ 2% statewide tourism tax in January-February 2024 compared with the same period in 2023

• 0.87% increase
Gain in the monthly average of Arkansas’ tourism industry jobs in January-February 2024 compared with the same period in 2023

The combined hospitality tax collections in the 17 cities totaled $10.595 million in January-February 2024, up 1.55% from $10.434 million in the same period of 2023. Monthly average tourism sector jobs in January-February 2024 were 127,700, up 0.5% from 127,000 in the same period of 2023.

Link here for a PDF of the complete January-February 2024 Arkansas Tourism Ticker.