An epic flood warning in late April contributed to a drop in Vicksburg’s hotel and motel bookings this spring, a local property manager said.

“When the flood started happening, a lot of our tours were nervous,” said Julie Ford, sales and marketing director for five hotels and motels held by MY Hospitality Services. “In preparation for the flood, we knew jobs were halted and companies were sending their people home. Everything was put on hold.”

A monthly report by Smith Travel Research, an independent research company of which the Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau is a subscriber, shows Vicksburg’s occupancy rates from its 32 hotels and motels to be 58 percent in April, down from 68.6 percent in April 2010.

March’s rates for this year and in 2010 held steady at 59.1 percent and 59.3 percent.

The Mississippi River had crested at a flood stage of 43 feet on March 31, and continued to swell to a historic crest of 57.1 feet on May 19.

U.S. 61 was closed north and south of the city for about three weeks, forcing corporate businesses to find lodging in surrounding towns including Clinton and Jackson, Ford said.

To offset a large portion of the cancellations, many hotels and motels housed emergency personnel and flood victims, Ford said.

May’s occupancy rates will not be available until mid-June, but Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Bill Seratt is optimistic.

He has said that the “hotel numbers appear to be up.”

A slate of activities contributed to the boost of Vicksburg’s hotel and motel bookings for March and April from winter, he said.

STR showed occupancy to be 58 percent in April, down slightly from 59.1 percent reported in March.

“One percentage point doesn’t bother me at all,” said Seratt. “The numbers are going to fluctuate.”

The report showed occupancy rates for January and February to be 44 percent and 51.9 percent, respectively.

Average daily rates were reported to be $71.57 in April and $70.63 in March. In 2010, the rates were averaging $68 during the same time period.

The VCVB is funded via a 1 percent tax levied on area hotel, motel and bed and breakfast stays, as well as purchases at bars and restaurants in Vicksburg.

VCVB returned to the STR subscription a couple of months ago after its yearly membership from the Mississippi Hotel & Lodging Association expired last month, Seratt said, adding the regional tracking from the association for $400 annually was “not specific enough.”

The STR subscription will cost the VCVB $2,000 a year.

Seratt said spring activities such as the annual Riverfest street party and the annual Tapestry: The Pilgrimage to Vicksburg contributed to the boost in numbers.

Despite the temporary halt of corporate business, Ford said her properties fared well during the busy spring months.

“We did better than average,” she said adding her five properties are collectively operating at about 75 percent full.

The third annual Tapestry tour of antebellum-style homes ran for a full month this year, and bed and breakfast inn owners attributed that to the event’s success.

This year’s event saw a 61 percent increase in ticket sales from last year when it drew in about 1,000 people, Vicksburg Bed and Breakfast Association president Carolyn Stephenson said.