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Talk of the Bay
Rates up at hotels, but visits are down
By STEVE HUETTEL
Published September 11, 2006
It's been a seesaw kind of year for Florida hotels. Room rates are up more than 9 percent through July compared with the same period last year, but occupancy rates are off nearly 3 percent. Why? Gas prices. Hurricane jitters. Tourists tiring of the same destination. Maybe it's because 2005 was such a banner year, some experts suggest, or because the leading hotel research company doesn't count timeshare units or rental condos. But the tourism marketing agency for Hillsborough County found something to cheer about in July figures from Smith Travel Research. Occupancy rose 3 percent compared with July 2005. Tampa was the only market in Florida on the upswing. It was Tampa's first occupancy increase since November. Tampa Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau officials, however, acknowledge the month was no ordinary July. Some 20,000 Shriners and friends invaded the city for their six-day national convention, leaving behind $31.4-million, said spokeswoman Karen Brand.
[Last modified September 11, 2006, 05:52:12]
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