Bookings at Vicksburg’s hotels and motels in January increased from the same month a year ago, and owners and operators are hopeful spring activities will boost numbers more.

“It’s all directed by the economy,” said Paul Patel, regional director of operations for Southern Hospitality Services, which owns and operates four hotels in the city, two of which cater to corporations. “Now that the economy is cranked back up, a lot of groups are coming in.”

The Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau subscribes to a regional tracking system, the Mississippi Hotel & Lodging Association, which reports bookings in the region, rather than strictly in the city, VCVB executive director Bill Seratt said.

That group reported regional bookings at 42.8 percent in the first month of the year, up from the 37 percent in January 2009.

Average daily rates in Vicksburg remained steady at around $65.

Patel said his four hotels, all built during a burst of hotel-construction activity in 2009, are collectively operating at about 60 percent full.

“I expect numbers to be higher this year,” Patel said. “If it rises 10 to 15 percent, we’ll be happy.”

Julie Ford, sales and marketing director for five local properties held by MY Hospitality Services, said this week her business is operating at 75 percent full.

“Things are excellent,” she said.

She said such weekend events as today’s Mardi Gras parade and Run Thru History, have helped numbers.

Ford estimated 25 percent of bookings this weekend are here for the parade and running event.

“During this time of year, the hotels are pretty full anyway,” Seratt added.

An operator at the Battlefield Inn, which is the site of Run Thru History’s finish line, said the hotel is 75 percent full this weekend, and about 60 percent of those guests are here for the event, said front desk worker Peggy Schaeffer

Warren County and Vicksburg, home to five casinos that have their own hotels, have 2,345 rooms at 32 hotels and motels.

Additionally, 10 bed and breakfast inns with 92 rooms operate in the city and county.

Overnight stays in the city usually increase in the spring when the Bed and Breakfast Association spearheads the annual Tapestry: The Pilgrimage to Vicksburg, which focuses on tours of older homes, many antebellum.

“We start to pick up in March and April,” said Carolyn Stephenson, owner of Annabelle Bed and Breakfast and president of the local Bed and Breakfast Association. “Tapestry attendance doubled last year, but we can certainly use some more local support.”

Last year’s pilgrimage attracted nearly 1,000 people and B&B owners are expecting numbers to triple this year since it is being offered for a full month instead of three weeks.

Additionally, bookings are expected to increase with the sesquicentennial commemoration of the Civil War and the subsequent anniversary of the Siege of Vicksburg, in 2013.

“The Civil War buffs find Vicksburg fascinating and that kind of travel will see increases,” said Harry Sharp, owner of The Duff Green Mansion, which operates four bed and breakfast rooms.

“I am very encouraged by the number of reservations coming through,” he said.

In addition to the casinos and the Mississippi River and its activities, a major drawing card for the city is the 1,800-acre Vicksburg National Military Park, which has recorded up to 1 million visitors per year.

For years, the VCVB tracked hotel and motel bookings in the city by subscribing to Smith Travel Research. However, the cost of $2,000 per year led the board to switch to the regional tracking service at about $400 per year, said Seratt, who indicated the board will shop for a more individualized tracking system after the current membership contract expires in three months.

Stephenson said advertising for Tapestry, which will run througout April this year, began in January, about a month earlier than usual. Seventy-five brochures featuring the 16 homes and a list of events were distributed at welcome centers across the state.

Vicksburg’s 10 bed and breakfast inns are privately owned and do not report their occupancy rates to any major data research company.