Study: USBC tournament created $113.2M economic impact locally

The 151-day U.S. Bowling Congress’ 2012 Open Championship in Baton Rouge, which wrapped up on July 10, had a $113.2 million economic impact in the Capital Region, according to a study commissioned by Visit Baton Rouge. The study, conducted by Baton Rouge-based SCI Research, was based on 1,056 interviews conducted with bowlers who participated in the tournament. In all, 58,704 bowlers and 11,496 guests from all over the country visited Baton Rouge for the national bowling tournament, which began on Feb. 11. To help cover the expenses of bringing the 2012 tournament to Baton Rouge, USBC received a total of $1.1 million in seed money from a partnership that included the city-parish, three neighboring visitor bureaus, two local casinos and the Baton Rouge Chapter of the Louisiana Restaurant Association. The city-parish’s total investment was $695,000, which was made over a five-year period. In its report, SCI Research says the $1.1 million investment provided by the local partners resulted in a 100-to-1 return. The $1.1 million in local support was part of an agreement that was made to get the USBC to return the tournament to Baton Rouge after it was held here in 2005. Hotels were the biggest benefactors of the bowling tournament, the study says, with the industry accounting for $35.6 million of the total impact. Restaurants netted $27.4 million; retailers, $15.9 million; the transportation industry, $14.9 million; the entertainment industry, $12.1 million; and casinos, $6.7 million.