Huntington Beach surfs Open success
The Nike U.S. Open of Surfing brings sports stars, music celebs, surf fans and dollars to the City of Huntington Beach in southern California.
"This is our signature event for Huntington Beach," said city manager Fred Wilson.
"This event not only brings thousands of visitors to our city to enjoy our fabulous beach, it brings business to our retailers, restaurants and hotels. It is definitely a win-win for the whole community."
The results of the 2010 U.S. Open of Surfing Economic Impact Study commissioned by the Huntington Beach Marketing and
Visitors Bureau (in partnership with the City of Huntington Beach) reported additional benefits to the citizens of Surf City USA.
The study found:
The U.S. Open of Surfing generated direct total spending estimated at US$21.5 million.
Of the total, about $16.4 million (or 72%) was spent in Huntington Beach, with $6.3 million (28% of the total spent) in Orange County at large.
When factoring the average 2.67 days per person at the event, the number of unique attendees was 185,000, with total attendance estimated at 494,000 at the 2010 event.
Of the total $21.5 million of direct spending related to U.S. Open attendee spending, $16.6 million was for taxable overnight paid transient lodging and retail items, generating $612,000 in total taxes.
"This event continues to bring a great vibrancy to the town while contributing millions of dollars to our local economy," said Steve Bone, president and CEO at the Huntington Beach Marketing and Visitors Bureau.
Ian Jarrett
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