Hotel, hospitality tax revenue up in Myrtle Beach

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) — Hotel and hospitality tax collections hit a record of almost $9 million in Myrtle Beach for the fiscal year that ended in June.

The Sun News of Myrtle Beach reports that some people attribute that to more visitors to the beach that is the heart of South Carolina $18 billion tourism industry.

City Councilman Wayne Gray says there are still challenges in the economy and people are paying more for gas and groceries. Gray says tourists are not spending more so the increase is likely due to more visitors.

But Coastal Carolina University researcher Taylor Damonte says the number of visitors dropped during the first half of this summer.

Damonte says hotel and condominium occupancy was down almost 7 percent between June 4 and July 16 compared with last year.

___

Information from: The Sun News, http://www.thesunnews.com/