BELMONT It was all fun and games Monday night as the Belmont County Tourism Council rang in the holiday season and named John S. Marshall its 2023 Tourism
Times Leader Staff Writer
Barb Ballint, director of the Belmont County Tourism Council, reports a decrease in lodging tax receipts but said the tourism council will continue its work.
ST. CLAIRSVILLE Belmont County has seen a steep decline in lodging tax receipts due to the coronavirus pandemic, but Tourism Council Director Barb Ballint said her department will keep aiding and promoting local events despite decreased funding.
The lodging tax receipts hit an “all-time low,” declining 53 percent from first quarter 2020 and 66 percent from first quarter 2019. Ballint told county commissioners last week that hotel occupancy was impacted by the pandemic, as well as by decreased work in the oil and gas industry. A tax on people using hotels provides the tourism council’s annual funding.