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Pinellas Tourism Enjoyed Rays' 1st Winning Season

Tribune file photo by CLIFF MCBRIDE

Locals and tourists alike celebrated the Rays' breakout season.

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By TED JACKOVICS

tjackovics@tampatrib.com

Published: December 11, 2008

Updated: 12/11/2008 07:27 am

ST. PETERSBURG - The Tampa Bay Rays have emerged as a major draw to Pinellas County, attracting about 5 percent of the county's expected 5 million-plus overnight visitors in 2008, a consultant report released Wednesday shows.

What impact that could have on community and business support in Pinellas County for finding a location for a new ballpark remains unclear.

However, the report and the financial impact the Rays are generating from visitors is expected to be discussed this morning at a board meeting of the ABC Coalition, a group of county business leaders formed to find an alternative site to Tropicana Field for the Rays.

The baseball tourism report by Walter Klages of Research Data Services Inc. of Tampa showed more than 252,000 overnight visitors to Pinellas County attended a Rays game during the 2008 season.

In addition, nearly 930,000 out-of county residents took a daytrip to Pinellas to watch Major League Baseball, Klages said. The Rays drew nearly 1.8 million spectators in 2008.

"The findings clearly indicate the impact of the Rays on local tourism," said Michael Kalt, senior vice president of development and business affairs for the Tampa Bay Rays. "Whether folks find that useful as they evaluate future ballpark plans, I cannot say."

Direct spending by visitors who came to Pinellas County expressly to see a Major League Baseball game was $107.3 million, including $37.3 million by those who did not spend a night in the county.

Results indicate a little more than one of every three fans who attended Rays games in 2008 were from Pinellas County, and a little less than one in three were from Hillsborough County.

The study was compiled from 1,714 surveys at Rays home games from June 17 to July 7 and 1,229 additional interviews from August to October throughout Pinellas County.

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