The tourism industry all over the United States and the world has taken quite a hit as the economy has spiraled downward during the recession. There is one place, however, that seems to be bucking that trend.

That place is right here in Mariposa County. Anyone who was on the street over the past weekend could see that there is no shortage of visitors in town, and there was plenty for those visitors to do with the First Friday Art Hop, Mariposa Evenings on the Green and plenty of impromptu live music on the sidewalks and in local businesses.

Recently released Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) totals for the 2009-10 fiscal year show that Mariposa County collected a record amount in

bed tax. The grand total for the year was $10,364,259. That figure represents an increase of $461,164 over the prior year.

Mariposa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Kevin Cann said the increase is a direct result of the investment the County has made into tourism. “The Tourism Bureau has performed way beyond what we expected,” Cann said. “It’s paying dividends.”‘

County Administrative Officer Rick Benson agreed. “These record-setting numbers are a testimony to the effectiveness of our Tourism Bureau,” he said. “While most revenue sources available to the County have been flat, the increase in TOT will allow us to operate without reducing services.”

Among some of the things the Tourism Bureau has focused on are filling up the shoulder seasons, identifying where visitors are coming from, and even focusing on who makes the traveling decisions for those families.

The efforts of the bureau and its director, Jeff Hentz, appear to be working. Normally, hotels and motels in Mariposa County aren’t sold out until early July. This year, by early June innkeepers were turning people away. Bus traffic into Yosemite National Park increased an incredible amount during the 2009-10 year as well. A full 46 percent more buses took the Highway 140 entrance into the Park this year.

The TOT collection year started a little slower than last year, with July, August and September lagging slightly behind the totals for 2008-09. Beginning in October, however, TOT collections were up in all but one month, which was January of this year.

The wet, cool spring could have spelled disaster for the area which enjoys its busiest time when things warm up. It didn’t, and in fact, may have helped increase visitation because of the spectacular and longer-lasting waterfall display in Yosemite.

The TOT collected in June of this year was more than $100,000 higher than was taken in July, 2009, typically one of the busiest months of the year. The same was true for August, as well.

June’s figures were not just better than last year, but were the highest-ever collected in a one-month period, regardless of the time of year. In June, Mariposa County collected $1.475 million in TOT. The closest collection rate to that was in July, 2008, when the County took in $1.394 million.

The amount the County has collected in bed tax has increased steadily over the past ten years. Figures provided by Cann show that in 1999-2000, the County collected $6.1 million. In spite of fires, floods and other natural disasters, the TOT has gone up each year.

The last time it reached the $10 million mark was in 2007- 08. It fell to $9.9 million in 2008-09, but rebounded in a big way to end this year in record fashion.

Cann believes the performance of the Tourism Bureau speaks for itself, and shows that Mariposa County should continue to invest in the bureau’s efforts. “This really drives home the impact of the tourism bureau,” Cann said.

Some gateway communities reinvest up to 35 percent of their total TOT into marketing efforts. In Mariposa County, the investment is less than five percent. Last year, the County funded the Tourism Bureau at $450,000.

Benson noted that it’s important not to put all the County’s eggs in the tourism basket. “However, as important as these revenues are to County government, it is more important that we not lose sight that a healthy tourism industry translates into private-sector jobs and is the engine that supports most, if not all, local businesses,” he said.