Hospitality tax revenues in the Fort Smith metro are down compared with 2024, but tourism officials believe the year will end on positive notes. Part of the decline is related to big tourism gains in 2024 tied to the solar eclipse.
Fort Smith hospitality tax collections for June, the latest months collections are available, were $99,663, down 19.5% from June 2024 when the collections were $123,741, according to Ashleigh Bachert, executive director of the Fort Smith Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB).
So far this year, Fort Smith has collected $623,935 in tourism tax revenue, a 5.5% decline from $660,414 collected in the first half of 2024.
“Year to date, we are about $30,000 behind last year’s tax revenue, but we expected that as we work to overcome April of last year, which gave the city a historic boost in revenue for that month,” Bachert said. “I like to compare the solar eclipse (of April 2024) to other events that cause a large influx of visitors, like Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, the Super Bowl, or a major natural disaster in a nearby city that requires emergency aid. This is why analyzing multiple years is crucial for understanding the growth of tourism in our area.”
While collections are down compared to 2024, they are up compared to the first six months of 2019-23, she said.
“I believe we’ll stay steady through the end of the year,” Bachert said. “We’ve had some excellent multiday events with strong attendance, and upcoming concerts and shows will further attract visitors to our venues, continuing to drive market activity.”
Van Buren had $18,658 in hotel tax collections in June, down 20.1% from $23,336 in May and down 24% from $24,581 in June 2024. Prepared food tax collection in June was $55,609, 2.8% less than $57,215 collected in May and 1.2% less than $56,308 collected in June of last year.
The total tourism revenue in the month was $74,226, down 8.2% from $80,889 collected in June 2024.
The city has $426,654 in combined hotel and prepared food tax collections so far in 2025, down 7% from $458,897 in the first six month of 2024.
“We are gearing up for the fall months, which are traditionally a busy travel time for many people,” said Maryl Purvis, director of the Van Buren Advertising and Promotion Commission. “We have seen our hospitality tax numbers leveling out over the last month and expect to see an upward trend for the fall and early winter months.”