Outer Banks Visitors Bureau Executive Director Lee Nettles recaps the Dare County Tourism Board’s August 2022 meeting. Among the items discussed was another record month of occupancy and meals tax collections in Dare County.
Occupancy tax totals were up 7.07 percent from the previous record for June set in 2021, and 5.19 percent ahead of the first six months of 2021 which was also a record period.
Meal tax revenue this June increased 1.2 percent over last year, while 2022 is 5.6 percent above last years total through the end of June.
Nettles did say deeper analysis of both reports shows that the Outer Banks visitor economy is moving back towards more “normal figures” as had been expected with the COVID-19 pandemic waning.
“The way we do this is by looking at each of the individual lodging segments,” Nettles said. “What we saw in June was that, with the exception of the property rental management companies and vacation rentals, all of the other lodging segments — B and B’s, campgrounds, cottage courts, hotel/motel — we are down…but that is compared to the 2021 record (year).”