A national sports championship coming to Peoria next March is projected to deliver a $3.1 million boost to the local economy.
The Peoria Civic Center will host the four-day U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships beginning March 1, featuring 90 teams with about 1,200 attendees.
According to Discover Peoria CEO JD Dalfonso, that equates to 4,300 hotel room nights — “heads in beds,” as he puts it.
Dalfonso said that number of hotel guests would result in about $170,000 in municipal tax revenue, and a significant spike in business activity downtown.
He also said the $3.1 million estimate may be a conservative figure, as their model does not account for participants’ families and spectators drawn from across the region.
The U.S. championships will have teams from eight competition levels, ranging from juvenile to masters, that advance out of the January sectionals. Some of the winning teams will move onto the 2023 World Championships in Lake Placid, N.Y.
