TOURISM TALK: Tourist Development Tax Collections Down 76 Percent Compared to Last Year

5 percent tax on overnight rooms saw its lowest month in over a decade

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Tourist Development Tax collections on the Space Coast for the month of April were down 76 percent from the same month last year.

This was a much-anticipated number since hotels were ordered not to accept guests who were traveling for tourism during the month.

Only essential workers with a letter from their employer or people who were traveling for medical purposes with a letter from their doctor were allowed to stay in area hotels.

The 5 percent tax on overnight rooms saw its lowest month in over a decade.

“The last several years, Tourist Development Tax collections were setting records every year, but COVID-19 put a serious stop to that,” said Peter Cranis, Executive Director of the Space Coast Office of Tourism.

“While obviously we are not happy with these numbers, it is still better than what I had anticipated listening to the hotel community the last month. It really bodes well for May and then summer.”

Overall, Tourist Development Tax collections are down 12.8 percent Year-to-Date from the prior year.

“In this new normal, if we can show improvements from month to month, that’s a good thing,” said Cranis.

For the month of May, there were some bright spots towards the end of the month with Memorial Day Weekend and the return to human space flight actually providing two opportunities for people to come to visit since the launch scrubbed due to weather on its first try.

“The weekend after the scrub was probably the best weekend we’ve had in three months,” Cranis said. “I would anticipate May being a much better month than April.”

The Brevard County Tourist Development Council was established to promote growth, development and quality of tourism on the Space Coast and consists of nine members appointed by the Brevard County Commission.

The TDC oversees the Tourist Development Tax (Resort Tax), a 5 percent tax on the total rental amount collected from every person or other party who rents, leases, or lets for consideration living quarters or accommodation in any hotel, apartment hotel, motel, resort motel, apartment, apartment motel, rooming house, mobile home park, recreational vehicle park, or condominiums for a period of 6 months or less.

The Space Coast Office of Tourism is the body responsible for the marketing of tourism operations in Brevard County, Florida.

The office is funded through the tourism tax, which is then used to provide advertising and marketing for the region and to develop tourism-related programs.

For more information, contact the Space Coast Office of Tourism at(877-572-3224 or visit VisitSpaceCoast.com

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