Augusta Welcomes Families and Athletes for July Boost in Visitor Spending

Staff Report From Augusta CEO

Tuesday, July 5th, 2016

The Augusta Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Augusta Sports Council are pleased to announce that visitors attending meetings, reunions, events and sporting events in Augusta will generate at least $21,084,938 in total estimated economic impact during the month of July. A portion of the total number of sporting events, conventions and meetings in Augusta this month are listed in the chart below for more event detail. These are groups the Augusta CVB or ASC have worked with at some point in the site selection and/or planning phase. Groups meeting in Augusta, that have available websites, have been hyperlinked for those who would like additional information.
 
July’s boost in total EEI from meetings and events is partially attributed to the number of family reunions that enjoy coming to Augusta. The Augusta CVB has assisted 23 family reunions arriving just during the month of July. These reunions average 111 attendees. The largest reunion being welcomed to Augusta this month is the Pollard Family Reunion with 300 guests and $71,475 in total EEI.

Several sporting events are also responsible for this large amount of spending generated by tourism dollars. For example, Augusta Southern Nationals will welcome 25,000 people, 2,500 room nights, and generate $5,433,534 in total EEI. Nike Peach Jam will bring 7,520 attendees, 1,000 room nights, and another $5,296,941 in total EEI.
 
Total EEI is calculated based on research commissioned by both the Georgia Department of Economic Development and Destination Marketing Association International in conjunction with globally recognized research vendors, the US Travel Association and Tourism Economics. Tourism Economics, a partner company of Oxford Economics, created the industry standard in event economic impact analysis using localized metrics that are updated annually.