Hotel occupancy and room rates in L.A. County rose in July from a year earlier, reflecting continued gains in the area’s tourism business, according to data released Friday.

Average occupancy rates were 82.38 percent, up from 79.4 percent in June and 79.8 percent for the like period a year earlier, according to PKF Consulting, which specializes in the hotel industry.

Santa Clarita hotels had the highest average occupancy rate in July, at 91.27 percent, while downtown hotels had the lowest, at about 70 percent.

Visitors to Los Angeles County paid, on average, $127.53 a night in July, up 8 percent from a year earlier and 1 percent from the $126.43 average in June.

All county submarkets with the exception of Long Beach and downtown saw room rates rise in July. Hollywood saw the highest room rate increases of all the submarkets, rising 16.9 percent, to $145.53. Rates in the LAX area rose 13.1 percent, to $84.43.

Beverly Hills hotels remained the most expensive in the county in July, at $306.78 for a night’s stay. Second priciest was Santa Monica, at $270.46.

For the second month in a row, hotels in the I-5 Corridor/Whittier submarket were the cheapest. It cost $79.95 per night to stay in the area in July, down from $81.23 in June.