CHEYENNE -- Wyoming's tourism industry had a bittersweet summer season as visitors flocked to Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, but travelers generally spent less money on lodging and other expenses, tourism officials said.

The occupancy rate at Wyoming hotels and motels was down each month this summer compared to last year, according to the Rocky Mountain Lodging Report, a service used by the Wyoming Travel and Tourism Division.

Wyoming lodging occupancy was at 68 percent in June, down 11 percentage points from the year before; at 73 percent in July, down nine percentage points; and at 69 percent in August, down 11 percentage points.

Meanwhile, visitor numbers surged at the state's marquee tourism attractions, Yellowstone and Grand Teton. Yellowstone hosted a record number of visitors this summer and 3.14 million for the year so far, compared with about 2.89 million for the same period last year.

The average increase in visitor numbers for the parks was 7 percent for June through September, said Tim O'Donoghue, executive director of the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce.

"People are still coming here and they always will because of the national parks primarily," O'Donoghue said. "But people are not spending as much money as they used to be for us. ... It's the retail sector of our economy that seems to be struggling the most in the last 12 months or so, and particularly the high end retailers."

Diane Shober, director of the Wyoming Travel and Tourism Division, said her office fielded more interest from travelers compared to last summer. Inquiries were up 18 percent through September.

At a recent state tourism meeting, industry representatives were "fairly positive," Shober said.

"Yes, there were some bumps in the road, but given the circumstances nationally, everyone there felt like they had probably done much better than expected," she said.

State figures show sales tax collections on accommodations -- including all types of lodging -- were down 14 percent through September, Shober said.

"I think a lot of that has to do with the rate on rooms, because people ran more deals this year, and it's also the reflection of occupancy as well," she said.

Nevertheless, campgrounds reported very busy summers as many travelers opted for camping instead of lodging, she said.

Dude ranches, on the other hand, have generally reported a difficult summer, Shober said.

Business was down about 40 percent at Allen's Diamond 4 Ranch, a dude ranch 30 miles west of Lander in the Wind River Mountains, owner Mary Allen said. Allen attributed the drop in business to the economic recession.

While the guest ranch was slow, Allen was busy providing pack horses for hiking groups.

"We had more of the hikers that we pack gear in for, the less expensive vacations, the more the do-it-yourselfers that we just helped them with the horse support, packing gear in for them, like fishermen and climbers," she said.