Lodging Collection Tax Goes Up Despite A “Soft Season”
Written by Andrew-Rossi on October 3, 2019
Lodging collections in Cody were up in August, despite a nationwide soft season.
Lodging tax collections increased in August for the first time in 2019. Claudia Wade, the marketing director of the Park County Travel Council, says this was a “soft season.” Yellowstone visitation was down in Summer 2019, as was Cody hotel occupancy. At this time last year, collections were up 27% from 2017. This year has seen a 6% drop in collections from the same point in 2018.
Wade says this trend has been observed across the country, with national park visitation down across the board. There are no specific factors that regularly contribute to a “soft season,” but Wade believes one issue specifically affected Cody this year: a cold, wet May and June. The adverse weather drove away the tourists who typically come to Yellowstone early to beat the summer crowds.
But there’s no reason to panic. Wade says a number of factors contribute to the success of the tourist season – anything from weather to politics. She says that for Cody, this is just business as usual, and expects 2020’s tourist season to be a marked improvement.
