FLORENCE-Almost 2 months ago, the Florence-Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) hosted the 2022 High School World Finals in Florence from McFarland Park. In a record year of attendance and boats entered, the Convention & Visitors Bureau has released the economic impact figures from the June event.
With 1,248 participants in the tournament, the High School World Finals produced an estimated $5,124,999.00 in visitor spending. Anglers and their families stayed an average of 5.6 nights in the area with 2,683 room nights purchased while in The Shoals.
The Bass Federation (TBF) is a member of the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. TBF is 100% owned by those they serve and dedicated to the sport of fishing. The Federation is the largest and oldest, organized grassroots fishing, youth, and conservation organization. The student anglers pay no entry fee to compete in this one-of-a-kind dual event. The World Finals portion is the granddaddy of all national High School events, where the bulk of the prizes and scholarships are awarded. It is also the most difficult to win.
Tyler Dolan, Sales Manager of Travel Trade & Sport, knows that the tournament is a tremendous boon to the local economy, but realizes it does much more than that. “Watching the excitement on their (students) faces as they compete each day is so rewarding. For them it is the love of the sport and learning to love the outdoors. Knowing this event brought many competitors and spectators from across the country to stay for a week will hopefully bring them back to visit again,” said Dolan.
Tournaments, already this year, hosted by the Florence-Lauderdale CVB have produced almost $8 million in visitor spending. The CVB on average spends an estimated $250,000.00 annually in hosting fees to hold events which significantly impact the greater Shoals economy.
The next tournament in 2022 will be the FLWBFL event on September 24-25.
For more information on the TBF High School World Finals, contact Tyler Dolan at (256) 740-9235 or tyler@visitflorenceal.com
Media Release/Rob Carnegie
President & CEO/Florence-Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau
