Occupancy tax shows more visitors to area
By RAY WYCHE
Staff Writer
A big jump in occupancy tax paid by people staying in motels and in other overnight accommodations in Columbus County is due in part to increased construction in the county, including a new state correctional facility near Tabor City, according to the director of the county Tourism Bureau.
But increased exposure of the county’s natural attractions, such as canoeing and kayaking on the Lumber and Waccamaw rivers and on Lake Waccamaw, has also brought in visitors.
From July 2006 through January 2007, the occupancy tax receipts increased 23.75 percent, according to Director Jennifer Long of the Tourism Bureau.
During the seven-month period, the 3 percent occupancy tax yielded $49,135 for the tourism bureau.
In July 2006, $9,475 was collected in occupancy taxes, the largest single month’s receipts in the 13-year existence of the Tourism Bureau.
“Several factors are responsible for the increase,” Long said. “We have an aggressive marketing plan that is exposing us. We are highlighting our natural resources.”
There has also been an increase in the number of business travelers spending time in the county, she added.
A state law creating the Columbus County Tourism Bureau was passed in 1994 in a bill introduced by Sen. R. C. Soles Jr. of Tabor City.
The law establishing the bureau called for a 3 percent occupancy tax with the tax money to be used only for projects relating to tourism.
The tax applies to all businesses offering overnight accommodations, including motels, hotels, bed-and-breakfasts, campgrounds and vacation house rentals.
Receipts from the tax collections are handled by the county tax office and the county finance office serves as fiscal agent for the bureau.