PROVIDENCE – Collection of the 5 percent hotel tax in Rhode Island in March totaled $1.1 million, a 14.6 percent increase year over year, according to the R.I. Department of Revenue Thursday.
Regional tourism districts in the state – there are eight regional tourism districts in the state, many including more than one municipality – received $370,819 in March, a 3.8 percent increase from March 2017’s $357,276. Of the tourism district allocation, $4,414 was attributable to hosting platform and room resellers, compared with $9,276 one year prior.
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Aquidneck Island received the largest share of the 5 percent hotel tax of any tourism district in the state for the month at $112,365, which represented a 4.4 percent year-over-year decline. Northern Rhode Island was the district with the largest nominal increase year over year going from $24,743 to $32,637.
Municipalities received a total of $255,584 from the 5 percent hotel tax in March, a 16.5 percent increase year over year. Of the total, $9,629 was attributable to hosting platforms and room resellers, a decline from $10,523 in March 2017. Providence was the municipality that received the largest share of the tax in the state at $78,818. Providence also reported the largest increase year over year, rising $9,342.
The R.I. Commerce Corp. was allocated $329,015 of the 5 percent hotel tax for the month, an increase of 32.7 percent year over year.
The Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau was allocated $152,847 in February, a 7.5 percent increase on the year.
Fiscal year to date, collection of the 5 percent hotel tax totaled $15.7 million, 9.3 percent greater than the $14.3 million collected through the first nine months of fiscal 2017.
Collections by tourism districts fiscal year to date totaled $5.7 million, a decline of 2.7 percent over the year. Collections by municipalities fiscal year to date totaled $3.7 million, an 8.9 percent increase from March 2017. Commerce RI was allocated $4.6 million fiscal year to date, an increase of 36.3 percent, and the Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau was allocated $1.7 million, which represented a 1.7 percent year-over-year decline.
It is noteworthy that after June 30, 2017, the percentage of allocation to the R.I. Commerce Corp. was increased for nearly all collected hotel taxes, offset by allocation percentage declines to tourism districts and other tourism entities. Excluding Providence and Warwick, Commerce RI allocation increased 7 percentage points at that time going forward, while tourism district allocation declined 5 percentage points and allocation to the PWCVB declined 2 percentage points. In Providence and Warwick, shifts in the allocation percentage occurred, but were less steep.
Chris Bergenheim is the PBN web editor.
