HUNTSVILLE – While athletes were competing for gold, Huntsville was seeing green.
And, a lot of it.
The Rocket City is quickly becoming a sports city, if last week was any indication, and the city’s coffers are big winners.
With four big sporting events – including a world championship – filling hotel rooms and restaurants, Huntsville saw a $4.2 million economic impact.
The city had the attention of the para-cycling world with the UCI Para-Cycling Road World Cup, the first time the event had been held outside Europe.
And, that wasn’t all.
Major League Fishing hosted its Sponsor Pro-Am Tournament, the RunningLane Track Championships took over Milton Frank Stadium, and the USTA Southern Pro Circuit Championship lasted the entire week at the Athletic Club of Alabama.
When you throw in the first-year Huntsville City FC’s first two home matches; an extended homestand for the Rocket City Trash Pandas; and, a Memorial Day tradition, the Cotton Row Run, you’ve got the makings of a major sports extravaganza.
“This week was a great showcase for Huntsville and the ability of our community to not only host major events, but multiple events simultaneously,” said Mark Russell, executive director of the Huntsville Sports Commission. “Having great partners enables our community to accomplish great things.”
On top of the economic impact, the four big events generating more than $318,000 in taxes and resulted in more than 6,100 room nights booked in Huntsville and Madison County hotels.
“We love having groups visit Huntsville and this past week gave our city a tremendous showcase that engaged visitors from around the world for the first time,” said Judy Ryals, President/CEO of the Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau. “The success of this past week is a credit to the teamwork throughout Huntsville to make great things happen.”
The Para-Cycling Road World Cup, itself, filled 3,700 hotel rooms and created an economic impact of $2.4 million to the area, with some teams staying more than a week in preparation. There were more than 350 athletes representing 41 countries in the event.
“Hosting the Para-Cycling Road World Cup and introducing the teams and competitors from around the world to our great city carries our message that Huntsville is a great place to live, work and play,” said Chip Cherry, CEO of the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce. “Events like these are tremendous tools for our economic development activities as we show the commitment of our city to a wide array of meaningful quality of life events.”
