In February, hotels, vacation rental properties and campgrounds throughout the county generated $2,182,105 in bed taxes, down 22.17% from $2,803,620 for the same month a year ago, according to the Volusia County Revenue Division.
Despite that February decline, the numbers indicate that the county is still faring better than other Central Florida tourist destinations in rebounding from the pandemic’s impact. Volusia’s numbers contrast with a 26.2% year-over-year decline for the month in Brevard County and a whopping 63.3% drop in February collections in Orange County.
“It wasn’t a great month,” Davis said, “but we did OK.”
In a breakdown of bed tax collections by the county’s three tourism advertising authorities, the Halifax area was down by 24.26% year-over-year to $762,861 for February, compared with $1,007,197 for the same month in 2020. In Southeast Volusia, collections dropped by 13.69% to $260,435, compared with $301,739 in February 2020.
“It’s not where it should be, but I’m happy that we’re doing better than most people and we’re doing the best we can,” said Bob Davis, president and CEO of the Lodging & Hospitality Association of Volusia County. “We’re still in a pandemic.”
In a breakdown of bed tax collections by the county’s three tourism advertising authorities, the Halifax area was down by 20.08% year-over-year to $365,016 for December, compared with $456,747 for the same month in 2019. In Southeast Volusia, collections dropped by 16.96% to $125,717, compared with $151,401 in December 2019.
In West Volusia, collections fell by 33.38% to $38,458, compared with $57,727 for the same month a year ago. That decline was a result of roughly 200 rooms booked by Stetson University at four West Volusia hotels as a move to socially distance dorm students during the coronavirus pandemic, said Georgia Turner, executive director of the West Volusia Visitors Bureau.