PRINCETON — Major sporting events such as a NASCAR race in North Carolina or Tennessee have been known to bring in more traffic and fill motel rooms in southern West Virginia, and it looks like a golf tournament will offer the same economic boost.
Last year, the Greenbrier Classic hosted in White Sulfur Springs saw estimated crowds of more than 40,000 people a day. This is a much larger number of fans than the venue, the Greenbrier Resort, or nearby Lewisburg can accommodate, so they will seek lodging in neighboring counties.
And this will bring an economic boost to places like Mercer County, local business leaders said recently.
“Oh, I think certainly it would,” said Robert Farley, president of the Princeton-Mercer County Chamber of Commerce. “There’s several motels in the Lewisburg, but then that’s about all there is. I would think that people will stay in Beckley and stay in Princeton.”
Travelers heading for Greenbrier County will also be looking for gasoline and for restaurants, Farley said. Mercer County sees the same influx of business traffic when another major sport, racing, takes place in neighboring states.
“We get an economic impact from the Bristol (Tennessee) race. That’s about two hours away. Our motels are filled up by the Bristol race, and I think that the golf classic would help us, too.”
An agency that monitors the county’s tourism has seen the same economic impact from major sporting events that are hundreds of miles away.
“Obviously, we’re going to have people stopping here, eating, and filling up their gas tank on their way to Lewisburg,” said Courtney Neese, marketing director for the Mercer County Convention and Visitors Bureau. “And then we were at a tourism commission meeting yesterday in Charleston, and we do know that everything in Lewisburg is booked and everything in Beckley is nearly booked.”
No vacancies in Greenbrier and Raleigh counties will send golf fans to Mercer County for lodgings, she said. People who did not book rooms ahead of time are more likely to seek accommodations further south.
“They’re going to be sending people this way after Beckley,” Neese said. “I really look for us to have more rooms booked. I just think people are going to be using us if they’re coming in and they don’t really have a plan yet. I do expect for it to impact us economically in Mercer County. The Greenbrier says they’re expecting over 35,000, so I know Lewisburg and Beckley are not going to hold all of those people.”
Last year, the Greenbrier Classic hosted in White Sulfur Springs saw estimated crowds of more than 40,000 people a day. This is a much larger number of fans than the venue, the Greenbrier Resort, or nearby Lewisburg can accommodate, so they will seek lodging in neighboring counties.
And this will bring an economic boost to places like Mercer County, local business leaders said recently.
“Oh, I think certainly it would,” said Robert Farley, president of the Princeton-Mercer County Chamber of Commerce. “There’s several motels in the Lewisburg, but then that’s about all there is. I would think that people will stay in Beckley and stay in Princeton.”
Travelers heading for Greenbrier County will also be looking for gasoline and for restaurants, Farley said. Mercer County sees the same influx of business traffic when another major sport, racing, takes place in neighboring states.
“We get an economic impact from the Bristol (Tennessee) race. That’s about two hours away. Our motels are filled up by the Bristol race, and I think that the golf classic would help us, too.”
An agency that monitors the county’s tourism has seen the same economic impact from major sporting events that are hundreds of miles away.
“Obviously, we’re going to have people stopping here, eating, and filling up their gas tank on their way to Lewisburg,” said Courtney Neese, marketing director for the Mercer County Convention and Visitors Bureau. “And then we were at a tourism commission meeting yesterday in Charleston, and we do know that everything in Lewisburg is booked and everything in Beckley is nearly booked.”
No vacancies in Greenbrier and Raleigh counties will send golf fans to Mercer County for lodgings, she said. People who did not book rooms ahead of time are more likely to seek accommodations further south.
“They’re going to be sending people this way after Beckley,” Neese said. “I really look for us to have more rooms booked. I just think people are going to be using us if they’re coming in and they don’t really have a plan yet. I do expect for it to impact us economically in Mercer County. The Greenbrier says they’re expecting over 35,000, so I know Lewisburg and Beckley are not going to hold all of those people.”
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