Hospitality tax collections, job numbers continue to rise in Arkansas’ tourism industry

Arkansas’ tourism sector continues to show gains in 2017 even against the tough comparisons of robust growth in 2016, with hospitality tax collections and job numbers up through the first 10 months of the year.

Collections of Arkansas’ 2% tourism tax set records for each month between March and August, and the number of tourism jobs set a new record monthly employment of 121,900 in July.

2017 is on track to mark the third consecutive year of growth as measured by the Arkansas Tourism Ticker. The 2016 Arkansas Tourism Ticker report showed a 4% gain in hospitality tax revenue among 17 Arkansas cities reviewed for the report, a 4.36% increase in collections of the state’s 2% tourism tax, and a 1.58% increase in Arkansas tourism industry jobs compared to 2015.

In 2015, the report showed a 7.41% increase in hospitality tax revenue among the 17 Arkansas cities, an 8.31% increase in collections of the state’s 2% tourism tax, and a 5.04% increase in Arkansas tourism industry jobs compared to 2014.

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 2017 January-October ticker report are:
• 2.3% increase
Hospitality tax revenue in the two-month period among 17 Arkansas cities reviewed for the Arkansas Tourism Ticker

• 3.19% increase
Collections of Arkansas’ 2% statewide tourism tax in January-October 2017 compared with the same period in 2016.

• 2.63% increase
Increase in Arkansas’ tourism industry jobs in January-October 2017 compared with the same period in 2016.

The combined hospitality tax collections in the 17 cities totaled $38.655 million in January-October 2017, up 2.3% compared to the $37.78 million in the same period of 2016.

Restaurant (prepared food tax) tax collections among the 17 cities totaled $28.303 million in January-October 2017, up 1.61% compared to the $27.854 million in the same period of 2016. Hotel tax collections among the 17 cities totaled $10.351 million in January-October 2017, up 4.3% compared to the $9.925 million in the same period of 2016.

Link here for a PDF of the complete Arkansas Tourism Ticker.