Voters in Oklahoma City overwhelmingly approved raising the city's hotel tax during Tuesday's election. | MORE | Election Results: Voters decide on runoffs, OKC hotel taxThe unofficial results showed 66.43% of voters approved increasing the tax, meaning visitors staying in hotels and Airbnbs will soon have to pay more for lodging. City leaders including Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt pushed hard to get the proposition passed. After the results began coming in, Holt celebrated the win, saying it is another example of Oklahoma City voters believing in the future of the city. "Normally, I'm thanking them for investing in our city. In this case, I'm thanking them for allowing our visitors to invest in our city," Holt said. >> Download the KOCO 5 AppThe decision means that the hotel tax will increase from 4.5% to 9.25%. The mayor said that the tax alone will raise millions of dollars. "The fact we could do it without taxing our citizens was a bonus," Holt said. Supporters of the tax increase said the money raised from it will benefit Visit Oklahoma City to promote all that the city has to offer, including the Oklahoma City Convention Center, entertainment districts and museums. In turn, they said it will attract more visitors to Oklahoma City. "To this new status as a top 20 city, it requires checking a lot of boxes to do it right. One of those boxes is supporting the visitor economy," Holt said. The mayor said the new tax puts Oklahoma City on par with other large cities. "We are not planning to look back. We are only looking forward," Holt said. The new tax will go into effect on Oct. 1. Top Headlines Unbelievable OHP photo shows trailer stuck upright against sign over I-35 in Ardmore Man wins more than $430,000 – only a day after buying a new house, lottery officials say Oklahoma grocery tax cut takes effect Thursday, stores prepare for change Shawnee Public Schools superintendent placed on leave amid OSDE investigation Mariah Carey's mother and sister died on the same day. The singer says her 'heart is broken'