For the love of money...Shreveports Rewards

2/19/2009 9:44:53 AM

Share This Story!

Classic brings good news for Shreveport/Bossier City and surrounding area

The Classic champion will earn $500,000 this weekend along with sponsor endorsement benefits and future opportunities that could fatten a bank account.

But the Shreveport-Bossier City area is expecting a big dividend as well. A revitalized downtown area and "boardwalk" along the Red River that includes a Bass Pro Shops store is energized about this weekend's influx of visitors and media attention.

The local newspaper, "The Times," in a front-page story Wednesday said economic impact may be a conservative $24 million to the area. It quoted a Pittsburgh official, Craig Davis of the VisitPittsburgh tourism agency, as saying that number could be low. Davis said Pittsburgh had a $30 million hit to its economy from the 2005 Classic.

"It was a very big deal for Pittsburgh," said Davis, the vice president of sales and marketing for VisitPittsburgh. "People who haven't been to Pittsburgh have this perception that we are a steel city, although that hasn't been the case for almost 30 years. We jumped at the chance to change perceptions because we wanted people to know that they can catch bass in our rivers that are right out in front of our buildings. The city was in the backdrop."

The story said "at least" 5,000 rooms are expected to be used by Classic visitors this week, but did not quantify if that was 5,000 separate rooms or 5,000 "room nights" as some tourism officials cite for extended stays during events. In either case, the city is abuzz with signs on streets and in businesses promoting the Classic.