Official report details economic impact of WWE Royal Rumble in St. Pete
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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - New official numbers show in vivid detail the economic impact the WWE Royal Rumble had on St. Pete and how visitors came in droves to witness the event.
READ: Gasparilla, WWE events contribute to record-setting weekend in Tampa Bay
Almost 50,000 people - 48,044, to be exact - packed into Tropicana Field for one of the WWE's premier events on the calendar in January. Attendees hailed from all 50 states and 40 different countries.
The attendance set a record for the Trop, and around 12,000 people went to Monday Night RAW two days later at Amalie Arena.
According to the new report, the Royal Rumble event earned $47,047,401 in total economic impact. The report also calculated $28,337,038 in total direct spending and $2,923,664 in taxes.
Excitement from the event also spilled over into a boom in business at nearby St. Pete spots:
- The Imagine Museum reported a 25% increase in attendance the day after Royal Rumble;
- Ferg's Sports Bar did 7x the business of a normal Saturday;
- Green Bench reported a 10-15% increase from normal Saturday operations.
Additionally, the Sun Runner saw a 95% increase in ridership on the day of the event.
All in all, $60,000 was donated to ARC Tampa Bay, Miracle by the Bay, Boys & Girls Club of St. Petersburg, and the Pinellas Education Foundation.