Atlanta tourism officials say the prospect of the University of Georgia playing in next month’s SEC Championship Game is no reason to worry about the game’s economic impact. Bulldog fans, they say, would likely spend just as much money as fans of rival schools.
Some even suggest the Georgia fans would occupy as many hotel rooms as rival fans, even though a large number of the Bulldog faithful live within easy driving distance of Atlanta.
Mark Vaughan, executive vice president and chief sales officer of the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau, is doing what he can to sound neutral when it comes to which teams play in the game. “Atlanta is a melting pot of alumni from schools throughout the Southeastern Conference, so we always have a good mix of locals and visitors that come to town for the championship football game each December,” he said in response to questions emailed by InsiderAdvantage. “The University of Georgia draws fans from all corners of the state, so we would expect to see a great deal of red and black throughout our hotels, restaurants and attractions during SEC Championship weekend if the Bulldogs represent the East division.”
Of course, if there are no upsets, this year’s SEC title game will be the biggest in the game’s history. Georgia and Alabama both are undefeated and ranked 1-2, in some order, in every major ranking. If they meet next month with both teams sporting 12-0 records, it would be one of the most eagerly anticipated games in history.
Georgia last played in the game in 2012, and tourism officials at CVB did not know if hotels suffered that year.
According to the numbers provided by the Atlanta World Congress Center, the game’s cumulative economic impact in Georgia exceeds $1 billion.
