Arkansas Tourism Ticker: State tourism sector growth moderates in 2025

Arkansas’ 2% tourism tax revenue between January and December was $26.596 million, down 0.24% compared with the $26.66 million in the same period of 2024. Despite the slight dip in 2025, monthly revenue for the tax posted a record of $2.857 million in June.

The 2025 numbers are compared against a healthy 2024 in which the tourism tax revenues were up 4.77% compared with 2023 collections. The 2024 revenue set a new annual record. The 2025 numbers are up 29.5% compared with the post-pandemic revenue of $20.544 million in 2021.

January-December hospitality tax collections among 17 cities surveyed for the Arkansas Tourism Ticker were down 1.37% compared with the same period in 2024.

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-December 2025 Tourism Ticker report are:
• 1.37% decrease
Hospitality tax revenue in January-December 2025 among 17 Arkansas cities reviewed for the Arkansas Tourism Ticker compared with the same period in 2024

• 0.24% decline
Collections of Arkansas’ 2% statewide tourism tax in January-December 2025 compared with the same period in 2024

• 2.5% increase
The monthly average of Arkansas’ tourism industry jobs in January-December 2025 compared with the same period in 2024

“2025 closed out consistently with previous months for statewide tourism tax collections and the final quarter showed encouraging signs of renewed activity across Arkansas’ tourism economy,” said Dalaney Thomas, director of Tourism within the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism. “We saw job growth strengthen and visitor engagement begin to rebound. That late‑year momentum is carrying into 2026, and we’re optimistic about the opportunities ahead. Arkansas’ tourism industry remains resilient, and we’re continuing to build on that strength as we move into a new year of growth. Arkansas continues to invest in the tourism industry through projects like the Delta Heritage Trail, the first lift-access downhill bike parks in Mena and Bella Vista, as well as continued investment at Petit Jean State Park.”

The combined hospitality tax collections in the 17 cities surveyed for the Arkansas Tourism Ticker totaled $72.028 million in January-December 2025, down 1.37% compared with the $73.028 million in the same period of 2024.

Monthly average for tourism sector jobs in January-December 2025 was 132,310, up 2.5% compared with 129,100 in the same period of 2024. The sector posted a record of 136,600 in December. Sector jobs have fully recovered from the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic when job numbers fell to an estimated 74,200 in April 2020.

Link here for the PDF or the January-December 2025 Arkansas Tourism Ticker.