The Tulsa City Council unanimously approved on July 22, 2026, sending a proposed increase in the hotel excise tax to a public vote scheduled for November 2026. This measure would raise the tax rate charged to tourists staying in Tulsa hotels.
Currently, the hotel tax rate is 5%, a figure that has remained unchanged since 1984. The proposed hike would increase the tax to 9.9%, marking the first raise in more than four decades, according to Visit Tulsa.
Use of Revenue for Major Venues
Revenue generated from the increased hotel tax would primarily fund maintenance and repairs at the BOK Center and the Arvest Convention Center
starting January 2027. These venues are key infrastructures for Tulsa’s events and convention business, supporting the city’s capacity to host conferences and entertainment acts.
Tourism Funding and Staffing Challenges
The tourism department in Tulsa is currently understaffed and financially limited, impacting its ability to recruit and retain major artists and conferences. Some events have relocated to competing cities such as Dallas and Kansas City, attributed to insufficient funding.
Official Statements and Tourist Impact
Renee McKenney, President of Visit Tulsa, emphasized the importance of reinvesting guest tax revenue into city infrastructure. She said, “For us, this is a big day in that we want to really make sure that we can
take our guest money as they come in and re-invest that into our city. Those ways, we invest to keep up at the BOK (Center) and the Arvest Convention Center. And then it also makes a great place for Tulsans all around.”
Tulsa City Councilor Anthony Archie noted funding shortfalls have limited tourism efforts, saying, “The reason why many of those (artist) acts and conferences come to Tulsa is because Visit Tulsa goes out and recruits many of those folks. What we see is, we have underfunded our tourism department. They are understaffed. And if we gave them the resources
that we needed, we would be able to continue to bring in some of those acts that we are losing to Dallas or Kansas City.”
If approved by voters, tourists staying at Tulsa hotels would face higher hotel tax rates, directly contributing to funding local tourism-related infrastructure and promotional activities.
