ST. GEORGE — It’s been just over a week since the Super Bowl, but about a year from now the “big game” will be less than two hours from St. George.
For the first time, Las Vegas will host the NFL’s championship game. The economic impact to Southern Utah’s Las Vegas neighbors will likely shatter the $280 million that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Saturday Salt Lake City is seeing from hosting this year’s NBA All-Star Game.
And economists say this year’s Super Bowl provided at least $600 million to the Phoenix area.
With that, could next year’s Super Bowl, to take place on Feb. 11, 2024, at Allegiant Stadium, provide some bleed-off tourism dollars to the Southern Utah area?
Brittany McMichael, the interim director of the Greater Zion Convention and Tourism Office, doesn’t think it will be much more than a field goal.
“We honestly don’t expect a large contingency of people headed to the Super Bowl spilling over to Washington County,” McMichael said, adding that Vegas isn’t exactly a place with little accommodations or things to do. “With a hotel bed base of over 150,000, and a wide variety of short-term rentals, Las Vegas has more than enough lodging to accommodate the Super Bowl crowd.”
That said, for those visiting Super Bowl hosts in person, the vacation may be a weeklong affair. That could include outdoor enthusiasts. While the Vegas Valley offers Red Rock Canyon and the Valley of Fire, Southern Utah offers Zion National Park and the “Mighty Five” – which some might say is the difference between offering Knott’s Berry Farm and offering Disneyland.
McMichael said not to be surprised to see people wearing commemorative Super Bowl clothes in town the second week of February.
“We may see a few day-trippers visit the parks as a potential add-on to their trip, but we anticipate that most people will fly in a couple of days prior to the game and leave shortly thereafter,” McMichael said, adding that the local tourism bureau has no plans for Super Bowl-specific programs. “We certainly welcome gamegoers, but won’t change our marketing strategy to attract attendees of large-scale events in Las Vegas, including the 2024 Super Bowl.”
The Super Bowl may also be a draw in the other direction of Interstate 15. While going to the big game itself is mainly domain for those who don’t think twice about paying thousands of dollars for one game ticket, there are other ways football fans could get a taste of the big game throughout the game week.
Along with the Super Bowl, the NFL holds a weeklong event called the Super Bowl Experience, and tickets for that are usually around $20 each.
Described as a “football theme park,” it includes interactive games where people can do the same drills from the NFL combine and try to kick a field goal through NFL crossbars (Those who have tried say it is nowhere near as easy as it looks). Current and past NFL stars will also be on hand to greet fans and sign autographs.
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