Arkansas Tourism Ticker: 2% tourism tax revenue continued record pace

Arkansas’ 2% tourism tax revenue between January and October 2024 was $23.085 million, up 4.63% compared with the $22.062 million in the same period of 2023. The October revenue of $2.506 million set a new record for the month.

A record for monthly 2% collections was set in June 2024 with $2.839 million.

Of the top five counties in terms of 2% tax collections, Pulaski and Garland counties posted declines of 0.89% and 4.26%, respectively. Benton County posted the largest percentage increase among the top five counties at 14.76%.

The 2024 2% tourism tax numbers are compared against record 2023 numbers. The 2% tourism tax revenue in 2023 was $25.446 million, up 5.8% compared with the $24.049 million in 2022. Revenue in each month of 2023 set a new record, with those gains compared to record numbers in 2022.

January-October hospitality tax collections among 17 cities surveyed for the Arkansas Tourism Ticker were up 3.7% compared with the same period in 2023.

Of the seven metro areas in or connected to Arkansas, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics provides tourism employment data on five. Of the five, only Northwest Arkansas posted employment gains compared with the same period in 2023.

The Arkansas Tourism Ticker is managed by Talk Business & Politics, and sponsored by the Arkansas Hospitality Association and the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism. 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-October 2024 Tourism Ticker report are:
• 4.77% increase
Hospitality tax revenue in January-October 2024 among 17 Arkansas cities reviewed for the Arkansas Tourism Ticker compared with the same period in 2023

• 4.63% increase
Collections of Arkansas’ 2% statewide tourism tax in January-October 2024 compared with the same period in 2023

• 1% decline
The monthly average of Arkansas’ tourism industry jobs in January-October 2024 compared with the same period in 2023

Link here for the complete PDF report of the January-October 2024 Arkansas Tourism Ticker.