Lt. Governor Kinder Presents 2009 Tour of Missouri Economic Impact
Study
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bre-@brenthugh.com
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Oct 01, 2009 13:09 PDT
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Today Lieutenant Governor Kinder's office released the results of the
economic impact survey for the 2009 Tour of Missouri--half a million
spectators, $38 million economic impact, and about 7 million viewers of
the cable TV roundup shows.
That's not bad for a $1.5 million investment from the state of Missouri.
See below for the complete summary
As always, those email messages and phone calls to Governor Nixon's office
asking him to support the 2010 Tour help a lot.
Email: http://governor.mo.gov/contact/
Call: 573-751-3222
Message: Governor Nixon, will you support the 2010 Tour of Missouri
**and** will you support bicycle friendly policies for the Missouri,
including Complete Streets and funding for bicycling & pedestrian
facilities in any future MoDOT funding?
MoBikeFed had a very productive meeting with Governor Nixon's staff last
week, inviting them to support a number of bicycle-related issues beyond
the Tour of Missouri--so your calls and emails are helping move Missouri
forward on that front as well.
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Lt. Governor Kinder Presents 2009 Tour of Missouri Economic Impact Study
Third annual race proves to be most successful
BRANSON, MO - October 1st, 2009 - Lt. Governor Peter Kinder, chairman of
the Missouri Tourism Commission and Tour of Missouri, Inc., presented
economic impact results from the 2009 Tour of Missouri during a meeting of
the Missouri Tourism Commission today in Branson.
"The 2009 Tour of Missouri was met with tremendous support all across our
state and I am proud to report that the numbers prove the same," said Lt.
Governor Kinder.
"Over 4,000 volunteers worked tirelessly to showcase Missouri across the
globe as a world-class tourist destination. We were blessed with great
weather through the entire week and, even though we visited smaller towns
on this year's revised route, spectators from all across the world helped
us surpass last year's success to once again make the Tour of Missouri the
largest sporting event ever held in our state."
Throughout the week, 500,000 spectators were estimated to have watched the
race at one of the 11 host cities or somewhere along the 600 mile route
which passed through many communities in Missouri. In 2008, an estimated
434,000 spectators saw the Tour at some time during the seven stages. In
2007, there were nearly 368,000 spectators who watched the race.
The total economic impact by spectators during the seven-day event was
$38.1 million, that's up from $29.8 million in 2008 and $26.2 million in
2007.
"This year's race was a huge success thanks to the tremendous efforts of
each of our host cities, corporate sponsors, Missouri State Highway
Patrol, Missouri Department of Transportation and spectators from across
the world," Lt. Governor Kinder said. "I am very pleased that for the
state's investment of $1.5 million in the Tour of Missouri, we were able
to return over $38 million to communities in our state."
During the course of the seven day event, the average out-of-state visitor
spent over $220 per day during their visit. In planning their trip, 83% of
non-Missourians said the Tour of Missouri was the reason they came to
spend time in Missouri. The average out-of-state visitor spent more than
four days in the Show-Me State.
The Tour of Missouri also showcases Missouri to a global audience via live
coverage on the Internet and on television.
This year, the Tour's official website, <a
href="http://www.tourofmissouri.com/">www.tourofmissouri.com</a> received
hits from visitors in 153 countries and territories. An estimated audience
of 5.6 million people watched nightly highlight shows on the Versus
television network and an estimated 1.4 million people watched highlight
shows on Fox Sports Midwest and Fox Sports Kansas City.
Following the 2008 Tour of Missouri, the International Cycling Union, the
sanctioning body for professional cycling, raised the ranking of the Tour
of Missouri to a prestigious 2.HC ranking, making the event one of the top
five races outside of Europe. The increased international appeal helped
attract seven pro tour teams who competed just weeks before in the Tour de
France.
The 2009 Tour of Missouri economic impact study was conducted by IFM
Sports, an international leader in sports marketing and research. IFM is a
global company based in Germany with American operations based in St.
Louis, MO.
IFM Sports conducted the economic impact study for the 2008 Tour of
Missouri. They have also provided similar reports for groups such as:
Major League Baseball (MLB), the International Cycling Union (UCI), the
International Tennis Federation and the National Basketball Association
(NBA), among many other professional sporting organizations.
At today's Missouri Tourism Commission meeting in Branson, Lt. Governor
Kinder pledged his support for a 2010 race and urged fellow commissioners
to also support bringing the event back for a fourth year.
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