Anchorage hotel tax receipts way down

ANCHORAGE - The recession is being blamed for a big drop in hotel-room tax receipts in Anchorage. The city says hotel-room tax receipts in the first nine months of the year are down 20 percent from last year.

The city collected $15.1 million in hotel-room tax receipts from January to September. That's down 20 percent. From July to September, hotel tax receipts totaled just $7.4 million during what is typically the busiest time of the year.

The decline comes as fewer tourists are visiting Anchorage, and fewer people are taking business trips.