Hotel Room Tax Collections Set Record

ORLANDO-Orange County’s 5% hotel room tax totaled nearly $12.2 million in March, the highest since the county started collections in 1979, according to county comptroller Martha O. Haynie.

Hoteliers look for a strong summer tourist season as the projected visitor count of 46.9 million could top the estimated 43.1 million in 2003, area hospitality industry consultants tell GlobeSt.com.

Haynie says March collections were 23% above the March 2003 volume. “Collections for this March represent the highest monthly collection amount of record, surpassing the previous high set in March 2000,” the comptroller says. “This is also the eighth consecutive month where collections have exceeded collections of the same month the previous year.”