Chamber of Commerce Looks Forward to Saturday's Triathlon (July 30, 2011) to Help Stimulate Local Economy | Eastern North Carolina Now

   The Washington/Beaufort County Chamber of Commerce looks forward to Saturday's Triathlon (July 30, 2011) to help stimulate local economy and also provide a healthy platform for good, clean fun. Below they have provided a press release presenting economic details.

Connie Cipriano appears supremely confident just before her imminent struggle to complete her endeavor in the Washington/Beaufort County Chamber of Commerce Triathlon in 2010. She actually finished, and finished 2nd in the Athena division - not the Clydesdale division as reported in the WDN.     photo by Stan Deatherage

Washington Triathlon 2010
Economic Impact Summary

The Washington Tourism Development Authority utilized an online survey tool to conduct an economic impact analysis of the 2010 Washington Triathlon. The Washington-Beaufort County Chamber of Commerce hosted the event, coordinated by Finish Strong Sports Series.

Information gathered was self-reported by triathlon participants. Dallis Tucker, Ph.D., helped to analyze the reported data. There was a strong (44%)response rate to the survey. The summary information is based on the 138 responses received from the 306 participants.

What we learned from the survey:
*figures include competitors in both the Olympic and Sprint events.

Where are they from?
Local (BoCo) Competitors 16 5%
Out-of-State Competitors 32 10%

*Race competitors traveled from Montana, Ohio, South Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, Georgia, New York, and New Hampshire.

Where did they stay?
61% stayed at least one night in local hotels (majority at Hampton Inn)

How big was the audience (participation + visitors)?
Race participants = 306
Total audience = 616 (based on party size and % from survey responses)
*This means that for every race participant, 1.33 additional visitors were in town for the event. Total Non-local audience = 407 (conservative estimate)

Spending (based on survey responses)
    Lodging AVG = $111
    Dining AVG = $63
    Gas AVG = $48
    Shopping AVG = $34
    Entertainment AVG= $35
    AVG spent/person (per survey responses) = $101

TOTAL ECONOMIC IMPACT
306 (event participants) x 1.33 (visitors) x $101 (avg spending) = $41,514
*This is direct spending by participants and visitors in their party.


We hold the Triathlon because of the economic impact it has on our County and to introduce people to our great area.

For a full list of participants as well as to see some locals who are competing, you can go to www.fsseries.com.