Visit Baton Rouge: 2012 revenues set record

With occupancy tax collections surpassing $4.3 million on the year, 2012 was the strongest year yet for Visit Baton Rouge in terms of total revenue, the tourism promotion agency announced this morning. Last year’s tax collections from local hotel and motel stays were 25% higher than the $3.4 million the agency netted in 2011. Visit Baton Rouge credits the U.S. Bowling Congress Open Championships and other unnamed “large-scale events held throughout 2012” for the record-high collections. The 151-day USBC 2012 Open Championships in Baton Rouge had a $113.2 million economic impact in the Capital Region, according to a study commissioned by Visit Baton Rouge. Hotels were the biggest benefactors of the bowling tournament, the study says, with the industry accounting for $35.6 million of the total impact. The USBC announced Wednesday that it is bringing its championship events back to Baton Rouge in 2017 and 2025. Of the current 12.41% tax rate on hotel and motel stays in East Baton Rouge Parish, the occupancy tax accounts for 4%—of which Visit Baton Rouge gets 3%. Another 4% goes to the state, and 4.41% is local sales tax.