The 2012 Valero Alamo Bowl generated $40 million in total economic impact based on direct visitor spending of $23.4 million for San Antonio last December, according to a survey conducted by Strategic Marketing Services and SportsEconomics.
The direct spending from the 33,580 incremental visitors attending the bowl game between Oregon State and Texas translated into $1.2 million in new tax revenues for the city. Since its inception in 1993, the 20 Valero Alamo Bowls have combined to bring 757,802 out-of-town visitors and generate direct visitor spending of $394 million.
“It’s been an amazing 20 year run highlighted by exciting finishes in front of capacity crowds and record ESPN viewership,” said Derrick Fox, President/CEO of the Valero Alamo Bowl. “On behalf of our partnership with the Alamodome, the San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau, the City of San Antonio and Valero, the Valero Alamo Bowl is proud to have again delivered such a special Bowl Week experience for the student-athletes and their fans and made such a significant contribution to San Antonio’s economy.”
A standing room only crowd of 65,277 attended the 2012 Valero Alamo Bowl marking the game’s fifth sellout in the last seven years.
“The success of the Valero Alamo Bowl has paved the way for the city hosting other events that benefit San Antonio’s economic cycle of visitation,” said Michael Sawaya, Director-Convention and Sports Facilities, City of San Antonio. “Each year the Valero Alamo Bowl adds to San Antonio’s well-deserved reputation for being an ideal host for major sporting events and validates the City’s commitment to supporting the Alamodome, as we believe it delivers consistently significant returns.”
The impact study also determined that out-of-state visitors stayed an average of three days spending $202 per day. Forty-six percent of the out-of-state visitors indicated this was their first trip to San Antonio. The average household income of this year’s Valero Alamo Bowl attendee was $109,000.
“The Valero Alamo Bowl again provided a huge end of the year boost for our City by drawing a large out-of-city fan base during what is typically a slower time of year,” said Casandra Matej, Executive Director, San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau. “In addition, the game provides tremendous value by exposing San Antonio to first-time visitors attending the game and the nearly seven million viewers watching the ESPN broadcast.”
