PROVIDENCE – April collections of Rhode Island’s 5 percent hotel tax rose 9.3 percent year over year to $1.2 million, according to the R.I. Department of Revenue Friday.
Year to date through April the tax collected totaled $15.6 million, a 2.8 percent year-over-year increase. Funds from this tax are distributed to regional tourism districts, municipalities, the Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau and the R.I. Commerce Corp. Formerly a portion of the tax collected was distributed to the R.I. Convention Center Authority.
Municipality Allocation:
Municipalities in Rhode Island were allocated $290,891 in April, an 11.7 percent increase year over year. Fiscal year-to-date, municipalities in the Ocean State have received $3.7 million in 5 percent hotel tax revenue, which represented a 3.4 percent uptick.
Of all the municipalities’ collections in April, Providence received the most revenue from the tax. The Rhode Island capital received $85,861, an 11.8 percent increase from April 2016, and at $9,095, the increase was also the largest nominal increase for any municipality, followed by Newport ($7,054 increase to $76,449).
Fiscal year to date, Newport has collected the most revenue from the 5 percent hotel tax of any municipality, netting just over $1 million, representing a 2.6 percent increase year over year.
The municipality that experienced the largest nominal decrease year over year in April was Middletown, which saw hotel tax allocation fall $2,858 decline to $23,466.
Fiscal year to date, the largest decline in 5 percent hotel tax revenue allocation was Pawtucket with a $21,046 decline to $1,650, a 92.7 percent decline.
Regional Tourism District Allocation:
Regional tourism districts received $472,170 in April, an 18.5 percent increase from April 2016.
Aquidneck Island was the largest recipient of the 5 percent hotel tax of any regional tourism district in the state, receiving $188,187 in April, $24,609 more than the previous year, the largest nominal increase of any regional tourism district in the state as well.
Aquidneck Island also received the most fiscal year-to-date allocation, ($2.7 million). The increase year over year for Aquidneck Island’s collection year-to-date in April was $146,780, more than any other regional tourism district in the state.
Fiscal year-to-date, Northern Rhode Island was the only regional tourism district which had a decline year over year in 5 percent hotel tax allocation revenue, with a $50,337 decline. No regional tourism districts reported year-over-year declines in April monthly allocations in 2017.
Commerce and Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau:
Commerce RI received $312,791 in April, a 5.9 percent decline year over year and $3.7 million in April fiscal year-to-date, a 2.9 percent increase year over year.
The Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau received $172,081 in April, a 14.5 percent increase year over year, and $2 million through the first 10 months of fiscal 2017, a 4.1 percent increase.
Chris Bergenheim is the PBN web editor.
