Taxes are going up on hotel stays in Palm Beach County in a move to raise more money to promote local tourism.

The County Commission Tuesday increased the tax on hotel stays and other short-term rentals to 6 cents per dollar spent. That should raise an additional $7 million a year that the county plans to spend on fixing more eroded beaches and increased advertising of tourist attractions.

"We should put more money in it," Commissioner Priscilla Taylor said. "If people see [advertisements] they will want to come here."

Palm Beach County, like Broward County, has been charging 5 cents for every dollar spent per night for the "bed tax" on stays at hotels, bed and breakfasts and other short-term rentals.

Tax increase supporters are betting that tourists looking for hotels won't be scared away if Palm Beach County's bed tax rises to 6 cents per dollar.

Palm Beach County's additional advertising is expected to target potential visitors in Philadelphia, Boston, Atlanta, Washington, D.C. and Baltimore.

"Everybody will benefit from [more] tourism," said Lois Croft, the Palm Beach County representative of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association.

The county's bed tax produces $34 million a year, which can only be spent on tourism-related efforts. That can include advertising local attractions, fixing eroded beaches and maintaining local attractions such as the county's convention center in West Palm Beach and Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter.

The county plans to use about $2.1 million of the nearly $7 million in additional hotel stay taxes to pay for fixing more eroded beaches.

About $2.4 million of the additional tax money goes toward Discover the Palm Beaches, formerly the Palm Beach County Convention and Visitors Bureau, which promotes local tourism and will lead the advertising effort.

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Palm Beach County raises hotel tax; money will promote tourism