In 2010, bed-tax revenue returned to normal, said Kelly Rapone, director of tourism and marketing for Genesee County.
After abnormal years in 2008 and 2009 -- when first a lot of construction drove the revenue numbers up to record heights, and then a recession and bad summer weather caused revenue to plummet -- 2010 put revenue back on the growth track of previous years.
Not every hotel did equally as well. Darien Lake Theme Park grabbed most of the revenue and the growth. But overall, last year was a good one for Genesee County tourism.
"It was a really good season, but it was a mixed bag," Rapone said. "The bulk of the number is driven by Darien Lake. They were going gangbusters this summer, while some other hotels were down a bit."
Recently, Darien Lake added 24 "Brown Bear" cabins, which can sleep up to eight and offer extra amenities, as well as added other accommodations. The Darien strategy has been to try to keep guests on site.
"The did keep a lot of business," Rapone said. "I would say eight of 10 calls we got here were from people wanting to stay on the property."
In all bed-tax revenue in 2010 was $356,133, up slightly from the last "normal" year, 2007, when it was $350,435.
While Darien Lake accounted for about one-third of the bed-tax revenue, the theme park also did a lot to bring people into the county, which helped a lot of other businesses.
The concert season was "awesome," Rapone said.
"If you were anywhere in Western New York, you couldn't escape the advertising for Darien Theme Park," Rapone added.
