PROVIDENCE – Home field advantage for the New England Patriots as well as youth hockey, gymnastics, wrestling and basketball will lead to an expected $4 million in direct spending in Providence, according to a joint statement by the Rhode Island Sports Commission and Providence Warwick Convention and Visitors Bureau.
“Throughout January, professional, collegiate, and amateur sports will have a major impact on the Rhode Island economy,” said RISC executive director John Gibbons. “Winter sports are particularly lucrative because they fill hotels at a time when leisure travel slows down.”
A total 370 hotel room nights have been booked during this month alone, said Gibbons, by the Tennessee Titans franchise, NFL Films, NFL executives and CBS Sports employees who are expected to spend roughly $500,000 during their visit.
He noted both of those figures figure will grow if the Patriots win Saturday – the Patriots’ first playoff game this season.
Locally, the J.W. Kennedy Memorial Hockey tournament will be held from Jan. 13 to the 16 at ice rinks across the Ocean State. More than 170 youth hockey teams are expected to participate book 4,200 hotel room nights with a direct spend impact of $2.1 million.
In addition, Beauty and the Beast, a gymnastics and wrestling invitational, will be held at the Rhode Island Convention Center from Jan. 19 to the 21 with a projected 2,000-person attendance. The event has contracted 240 hotel room nights and has a direct spend impact of $246,000.
A week later – Jan. 27 and 28 – the Athletic Championship cheer competition returns to the convention center this time with 6,000 competitors, their coaches and families. Visitors will use more than 2,300 hotel room nights and have an estimated $1.4 million impact in direct spending.
January will be rounded out with the 20th annual National Prep School Invitational at which more than 30 basketball teams from the U.S., Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Ireland and Canada will compete from Jan. 31 through Feb. 4. Players, their families, coaches and scouts will contract more than 400 hotel room nights and the event has a projected direct spend impact of $238,000.
Emily Gowdey-Backus is a staff writer for PBN. You can follow her on Twitter @FlashGowdey or contact her via email, gowdey-backus@pbn.com.
