Room tax collections in the city of Bend increased more than 7 percent in November over November 2011, Visit Bend, the city’s tourism agency, announced Monday.
For the fiscal year to date, lodging taxes collected in the city have increased 7.3 percent year over year, Doug La Placa, president and CEO, wrote in an email to Visit Bend board members and others.
During the first five months of the fiscal year, $1.9 million has been collected in the city. Transient room tax collections serve as a gauge of tourism activity, a key Central Oregon industry.
Room tax collections in Deschutes County outside the city of Bend increased 3.9 percent in November over November 2011, according to Visit Bend data, and 8.6 percent for the first five months of the fiscal year, compared to the same period a year ago. In Deschutes County, a total of $2.1 million has been collected so far this fiscal year.