Regional soccer tournament boosts BR hotel revenue by 41%

Revenue for Baton Rouge–area hotels jumped by more than 41% during one week last month when the 2014 U.S. Youth Soccer Region III Championship tournament was held in the city, according to figures tracked by lodging industry firm Smith Travel Research. Visit Baton Rouge released the figures, which show that from June 19 to June 26, local hotels collected $6.7 million in revenue, compared to $4.8 million during the week in 2013. The first day of the tournament saw the largest spike in hotel occupancy, at more than 43% over the same day in 2013. The tournament was held at the Burbank Soccer Complex and drew thousands of soccer players, fans and families from 11 Southern states, according to the VBR news release. Last week, VBR announced that local hotels took in a record $3.4 million during the fifth annual Bayou Country Superfest over Memorial Day weekend and saw a modest increase in occupancy—between 8% and 17%—for the Miss USA Pageant in June. “The tournament was a perfect bookend to the success of this year’s Bayou Country Superfest and the Miss USA pageant,” says VBR President and CEO Paul Arrigo in the release. “We knocked a homerun every time.” —Rachel Alexander