How A Playoff Game Benefits Tourism In One City

Lambeau FieldIt may be the smallest city with an NFL team, but with a population of 104,000 it is the 3rd largest city in Wisconsin, and its’ about to get a huge economic boost. Not only are the Packers preparing to host an NFL Wildcard Playoff game at Lambeau Field this weekend, the City of Green Bay is prepping for an economic boost that will come crashing in. This is another example of how sports and tourism can help stimulate a local economy, especially in Green Bay, which already has a plethora of tourism attractions.

It is estimated that the impact of an NFL home playoff game in Green Bay is worth $14 million to the local economy. Granted, other cities hosting an NFL playoff game will receive a similar impact, but it’s different with Green Bay. They are much smaller than any other NFL city, and they have less hotel rooms among other things. Now, this is just the impact that can be counted, there is no amount you can put on having your city showcased to a national audience. The mini profiles of the community that the networks do during the telecast are mini tourism commercials and extremely beneficial from a tourism marketing perspective. These images around the outside of the stadium and profiles of the community puts Green Bay in people’s minds and gets them thinking of booking a getaway to Green Bay for training camp and staying a few days longer.

What Does A Playoff Game in January Mean to Tourism

The population of Green Bay will increase by thousands of people on the weekend of a game a Lambeau field. Every hotel room will be booked. Restaurants will be busy. Gas stations will have a constant flow of traffic. Merchandise will be flying off the shelves. In Green Bay, people who live around the stadium allow game goers to park on their front lawns for a fee. This extra game will provide those homeowners will additional income that they did not have before. Some will save, some will use it to pay down debt, but others will spend it and that puts it back into the local economy.

Being January in Wisconsin, when temperatures are below freezing, most people will hibernate until it warms up. With a home game at Lambeau, the community will be hopping and the waiter or waitress who usually would have the weekend off, will be able to make some extra money. People not going to the game will be buying their Packer party food and beverages at local grocery stores, and tailgaters will be doing the same, placing more people working because of the demand. Part-time employees that work Lambeau Field on game days will gain extra hours and money. Non-profit groups that run concession stands inside Lambeau Field will benefit as well from the extra game.

People attending the game will not all be from the Green Bay area. In fact, over 50% of them will be from out of town and even from the Milwaukee area, easily a 100+ mile drive. With so many out of towners attending a playoff game, this is new money coming into the community. The local sales tax that the community receives from this extra game, helps in keeping taxes low for its’ residents, road repairs, an any another enhancements that the city envisions.

Tourism creates jobs, provides improvements to infrastructure, and generates extra tax revenues. On a cold weekend in January, tourism will bring many economic and social benefits, as well as civic pride, with an NFL WildCard Game that means so much more to Green Bay, WI.

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