Lodging tax collections rise

By one measure, lodging tax collections have increased in Grand Junction for two straight months. By another measure, though, collections still lag slightly behind last year.

According to the Grand Junction Visitor & Convention Bureau report for December, $65,981 in lodging taxes were collected. That’s 2.4 percent more than what was reported for the same month last year. Since lodging tax reports follow a month behind collections, December reports reflect hotel and motel stays in November.

But even with year-over-year gains in the last two reports, total lodging tax collections for the past 12 months came in 1.3 percent less than the same span the year before. Collections for hotel and motel stays between December 2012 and November 2013 added up to $1.2 million.

The VCB reported a 14 percent decrease in the number of visitors counted at the Grand Junction Visitor Center during 2013, but a nearly 59 percent increase in unique visits to the VCB website at www.visitgrandjunction.com.