All the beans have been counted, and the Santa Maria Chamber of Commerce and the Visitor and Convention Bureau say that transient occupancy tax collection is up 12.34 percent.
That number means that during the 2013-2014 fiscal year, Santa Maria hotels collected $2.8 million in transient occupancy taxes from visitors passing through, according to a press release.
In the release, Gina Keough, manager of the bureau, said that Santa Maria hasn’t previously seen bed tax increases in every month of the year like it did in 2013-2014.
“I attribute the increase partly to referrals from the city’s Recreation and Parks Department, whose facilities for 2014 were sold out,” she said in the announcement.
The increase continues a four-year-long trend that began in 2010, according to a report from the city of Santa Maria. And it’s possible the trend may continue for another year. The city reported sales tax increases for the first quarter of 2014 in almost all revenue areas, including restaurants and hotels. Sales tax increases are consistent with increased stays in local hotels.
“There’s an automatic residual effect on sales tax, because people are then buying more food and beverages, and they’re spending more time in the community shopping and enjoying our many other attractions,” Keough said in the release.
Malei Weir of Mooncatcher, a marketing and consulting firm contracted with the bureau, explained that much of the bed taxes are coming from a specific kind of visitor.
“[The bookings] are often for students and competitions,” she said.
This article appears in Sep 25 – Oct 2, 2014.