Orange resort tax collections sink 16% - Orlando Business Journal:

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The tax, collected primarily from hotelasand motels, is used to pay for tourism promotion operations at the and construction of three downtown Orlando sports and entertainment venues. Collection fell to $13.3e million in April from $15.9 millionb a year ago. The drop reflect s the downturn in travell that is a byproducft onthe recession. Revenue per available room in Aprip droppedto $69.61 from $84.17 last a 17.3 percent decline, accordinf to Smith Travel Research.
The Smith Travel numbers, however, do not includew hotels operated by andHarris Rosen’s seven Orange Comptroller Martha Haynie said her officwe generally combines March and April resultzs together to compensate for the shift in when the Easte r holiday falls. Using the two collections fell 22 percent yearover “While this is hardly cause for it is a bit better than the 30 percent declinea we saw earlier this year,” Haynie said in a statement accompanyinbg the release. Rich Maladecki, president of the , said the lossesw in hotel revenue that resulted in the declinse in tax revenue are having a broad impacgt onthe economy.
He said hotels and companiexs that service hotels and tourists are cutting employeesz asrevenues decline. “This is both a loss of revenuew and jobs for our Maladecki said. “There is a domino One in every five jobs in our region is related directly or indirectly to thehospitality industry.”