Columbia Officials Remain "Lukewarm" About Tour's Local Impact

T.J. Greney reports in The Columbia Daily Tribune that Columbia will bid to host a Tour of Missouri stage next year, but is openly questioning the local economic impact of bringing the race to town.

City again will bid for stage in Tour of Missouri
Economic gain is questionable.

Columbia will bid to host a stage of the Tour of Missouri next year. However, the city remains lukewarm about the economic impact of the event, and whether the 600-mile bike race will be held at all remains up in the air...

[Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Lorah] Steiner said several thousand people amassed downtown to watch the riders cross the finish line [in 2007], but the event was not a major winner for the area's economy. "For the most part, it cost us, and it didn’t generate a lot of room nights," she said, referring to overnight hotel stays.

There continues to be a disconnect between what local tourism officials say about the economic impacts in their cities, and what Tour organizers say happens in local towns.  Remember that Tour of Missouri, Inc. claims that spectators spent $12.27 million on hotel rooms over a one-week period in 2009.  If true, that would mean literally thousands of additional hotel rooms in host cities every night.

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Image credit: VeloNews

 

Submitted by .Sean on November 9, 2009 - 2:31pm
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