The recession hasn't been the kindest to Boulder's tourism industry: accommodations taxes were down more than 17 percent through August, and the expectation is that those declines could worsen to nearly 20 percent when September's figures are posted.

Occupancy levels at Boulder hotels are down 8 percent, meaning even fewer people are dining out and shopping, further crippling city coffers.

However, some in the local hospitality and tourism industry are hopeful that the tide could turn -- sooner than later -- in the favor of one of the city's biggest economic engines. The tourism market contributes between 13 percent and 14 percent to the city's general fund, said Mary Ann Mahoney, executive director of the Boulder Convention and Visitors Bureau.

"The perception is that Colorado and the Denver-Boulder market might be quicker to come out of this economic slump," she said.

Although the city's occupancy levels and average room rates are both down 8 percent, Boulder is faring "fairly well" in comparison to national and regional trends, Mahoney said. In an Oct. 28 report to city of Boulder officials, Mahoney cited HotelNewsNow.com data showing that the occupancy and average room rate declines were a respective 10.9 percent and 13.1 percent for the Denver metro area and a respective 7.9 percent and 9.8 percent for the nation.

Mahoney added she was encouraged by the visitor traffic during the summer -- which appeared to be as busy as 2008 -- and recent survey results showing that a visitor staying three nights in Boulder would spend $895. In 2005, that figure was $725.

The weakened economy and its impact on people's travels have made it that much more important for local restaurateur Dave Query to keep his handful of Boulder eateries top of mind at the hotels and top of the results of Web search engines.

Query and employees of his Big Red F Restaurant Group -- which owns Centro, Jax, the West End, Happy Noodle and Zolo in Boulder -- spend time keeping in touch with the local hotels and bolstering search engine optimization strategies for his restaurants.

Darek Zurek, who's managed the Days Hotel Boulder in South Boulder for seven years, remarked that 2009 was an "interesting" year, but his 80-room hotel fared well amid a time of lower visitors and lower rates because of its economical positioning.

Zurek said he expects next year to be "pretty good," noting he's already received calls to book rooms for the spring and he's also considering upgrading his hotel.

"If this winter we do OK, there's no question about it," he said. "I think we've weathered the worst part of it."

That's not to say that things will turn around immediately, he added.

"It's just gonna take time ... I'd give it two, three more years," he said. "We might be stable ... but there's a lot of great things happening here. It might take a little more time than people's patience."

Contact Camera Business Writer Alicia Wallace at 303-473-1332 or wallacea@dailycamera.com.