Business

Tourism dips in July

By Bill Moss, Published: August 29, 2012

Room nights in Henderson County dropped slightly in July for the first time since July 2011, county Travel and Tourism figures show.

The room nights in July totaled 28,138 compared with 28,642 in 2012, a drop of 1.7 percent. That decline followed six months of growth in lodging stays, including robust gains in the spring of this year. Tax revenue from the county's 5 percent hotel tax came in $57,525 ahead of 2011 numbers for the first six months of this year, including gains of 20 percent in March, 39.4 percent in April and 14.4 percent in May.
Travel and Tourism director Beth Carden did not mention the July figures specifically when she reported on summer activities put on by the tourism agency.
The Music on Main concert series drew about 500 people for each of its Friday night shows, she said. The agency received 125,000 copies of its Henderson County tourism magazine and had distributed 75,000, she said. It also has bought advertising in Our State and Southern Living magazines.
The board was meeting for the last time as the county Travel and Tourism Committee. Legislation that authorized an increase in the occupancy tax rate from 5 to 6 cents also restructured the board into an independent Tourism Development Authority with members appointed by the Henderson County Board of Commissioners and the towns of Hendersonville, Fletcher and Flat Rock.