Impact of UFC on Vegas 2nd only to Nascar
Homegrown mixed martial arts league becomes major tourist draw An evening of men punching each other in the face in…
Homegrown mixed martial arts league becomes major tourist draw
An evening of men punching each other in the face in an eight-sided fenced ring has become one of the area’s top business ventures and tourist drivers, according to a new study by a local firm. Zuffa requested the economic impact study from Applied Analysis to see how its events stack up against the economic impact of other local events, such as the National Finals Rodeo or NASCAR events
.”I wanted to do some research to see what kind of impact we’re having on Las Vegas,” Fertitta said. “I was curious how we stacked up against things that seem to get a ton of press and people seem to talk about.”
Applied Analysis used event data tracked by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority for its study.
Study Highlights:
The UFC generated $86.2 million in nongaming revenue for six events between Feb. 2, 2008, and Jan. 31. Only the NASCAR UAW-DaimerChrysler 400, which generated $134.3 million on March 2, 2008, ranked higher.
The UFC events attracted 80,087 people, with 56,435 of them coming to Las Vegas for the event, numbers provided by Zuffa show.
The league’s attendance numbers place the UFC behind, in order, National Finals Rodeo, NASCAR, ACDelco NHRA Drag Races, the Aviation Nation Air Show, NHRA SummitRacing.com race, the Professional Bull Riders National Championship and the 10-day Cowboy Christmas Gift Show.
Add in attendance at Zuffa’s seven smaller events — The Ultimate Fighter events, Ultimate Fight Nights and World Extreme Cagefighting — and the UFC’s local economic impact climbs to the No. 2 spot.
According to the study, 42 percent of UFC 94 visitors have a household income greater than $100,000, compared with 24 percent of the city’s overall visitors.
UFC visitors also gamble more than typical Las Vegas visitors, arriving with a gambling budget of $931 compared with $556 for all visitors.
Nongambling expenses for UFC 94 visitors was nearly double those for other visitors, too: $1,528 per person versus $869 per person
