KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Thousands of fans meant millions of dollars for the local economy, all due to the impact of a very busy week.
With the arrival of the Big 12 Tournament and Planet Comicon, more than 120,000 visitors gathered in Kansas City resulting in a big boost for local businesses. At any given time over the weekend there were at least 50,000 people spending money downtown.
It was originally predicted around $9 million would be spent in the downtown area over the weekend, but now it looks as if those numbers could be closer to about $15 million. The good news is all of that tax money being spent on hotels, shops, bars, and restaurants stays in Kansas City.
“Those tax dollars and those collections go back to funding city services that benefit all of us that live here, so that’s huge, and that equates to enough money in any given year in tourist tax collections to fund the entire fire department and parks and rec department,” said Jon Stephens with the Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association.
And what wasn’t being added in to those numbers was the revenue from the crowds which stuck around for the St. Patrick’s Day activities on Monday. Making Kansas City’s one of the biggest celebrations in the country, giving even more back to the city.
