After nearly a year and a half of consecutive declines, Osceola County tourist tax revenues showed a 7.9 increase for the second month of the fiscal year.

The graph, left, shows that Osceola County tourist tax revenue in November was close to the revenue seen in fiscal years 2006-07 and 2007-08.

It was the first increase in tourist tax collections since August 2008.

Osceola Resort Area Council member John Brost, who oversees the Best Western Lakeside hotel on West U.S. Highway 192, said the increase could be attributed to a busy month for youth sports tournaments, which brought teams from around the country to Osceola County.

The United States Specialty Sports Association, located at the Osceola County Stadium in Osceola Heritage Park, held several sports tournaments in November.

“The youth sports market is really the only one that’s staying firm,” Brost, a former chairman of the council, said.

By the end of the 2008-09 fiscal year in September, the county had experienced a 14.8-percent drop in tourist tax dollars compared to the previous year. Overall, collections for the year totaled about $31.2 million, an approximate $5 million loss from the year before.

Since the fiscal year began in October, the county has seen a 7-percent drop in tourist tax revenues. October revenue was 21.1 percent less than the same month a year earlier.

And although his November numbers were at an increase, Brost said he’s expecting 2010 to stay mostly at 2009 levels.

“This year is going to be a pretty flat year,” he said. “We’re not really predicting much up-tick until 2011.”

The average daily room rate in county hotels and motels (excluding Disney resorts) also posted an increase in November. According to the report, daily room rates were an average of $75.67 in November, compared to November 2008, when the average rate was $73.22.

Occupancy rates, however, decreased, showing a 6.1 percent drop in November from the year before. Occupancy levels in county hotel and motels were at 40.2 percent in November 2009, versus 42.8 percent the same month in 2008.