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Hotel Tax increase approved by York County Commissioners

YORK, PA – York County Board of Commissioners voted to raise York County’s hotel room tax from 3 percent to 5 percent. The local tourism business applauds the c...
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YORK, PA – York County Board of Commissioners voted to raise York County’s hotel room tax from 3 percent to 5 percent. The local tourism business applauds the commissioners, noting the increase will put York County on level footing with several neighboring counties whose hotel tax rates were already set at 5 percent. York County was allowed to raise the room tax after state lawmakers passed legislation that gave counties the option to increase their rate to fund tourism ventures. The York County delegation supported the measure.

The new rate is expected to generate more than $1 million of additional annual revenue in York County. Most of the increased funding will go toward a grant program supporting local tourism partners.

The York County Convention & Visitors Bureau praised the commissioners for supporting local tourism and cited growth in their industry in a recent report.

Visitors spent $923.1 million in York County in 2014, up from $907.5 million the previous year, according to the annual Economic Impact of Pennsylvania’s Travel and Tourism Industry report. It marked the fifth consecutive year that tourism spending increased in York.

York County ranked third in visitor spending among the nine counties in the Dutch Country Roads Region, one of the top tourism locations in Pennsylvania. With a 1.72-percent increase, York County exceeded the regional average, as well as the state’s overall rate of growth.

The local tourism industry also employed 7,637 people, up from 7,525 in 2013, and generated more than $90 million in state and local taxes in York County in 2014, according to the report.

To view the full report, please visit www.visitpa.com.

“This report confirms what we’ve known all along: York County is a wonderful place to visit, thanks to its engaging factory tours, diverse athletic facilities, thriving downtowns and getaways such as the Mason-Dixon Wine Trail,” said Anne Druck, President of the York County Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Now, with the support of the York County Board of Commissioners, we can invest even more in our tourist attractions to compete for lucrative visitor spending. We thank our local officials, as well as state lawmakers and Governor Tom Wolf, for their support in helping us to level the playing field of local tourism funding.”

SOURCE: York County Convention & Visitor’s Bureau press release

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