Volusia County, Fla. — Volusia County leaders say the county has seen a decrease in its tourism development tax collections this year.

Revenue from June rentals collected in July was down 11.55% compared to June 2022.

Nancy Couch, general manager at The Sun Viking Lodge in Daytona Beach, said she has felt the impact of having fewer customers in 2023 when she compares it to business in 2021 and 2022.

Numbers released this week by Visit Florida show that while international travel is up, domestic travel is down 1%.

Out of the 91 rooms at the lodge, Couch says hotel is about half full right now. She says the business did great in 2021 and 2022 coming out of the pandemic when a lot of people came and stayed at the hotel. But now, more than halfway in 2023, it has seen a decrease in customers.

“It’s slowed down quite a bit. We were pretty busy during the pandemic and then the revenge travel last year. And so, it has slowed down quite a bit this year,” Couch said.

She hopes things pick up during the remaining months this year. She says the lodge has monthly rates and they expect snowbirds to come down from the north and stay for extended periods of time here.

Visit Florida numbers also show that Canadian travel to Florida is up 81%. Volusia County officials say although they have seen a decrease in tourism, there’s still some hope.

According to Volusia County data, the year-to-date collections for this fiscal year are down nearly 2% compared to last year, but they already exceed the total amount collected in any year prior to 2021 with three months remaining in the fiscal year.