Tupelo Tourism Boom
Tupelo officials report $6.2 million in sports tourism revenue
City leaders say sporting events and aquatics programs brought in millions in economic activity over the past year.
At the Tupelo City Council's regular meeting Oct. 6, a speaker identified in meeting records as Mayor Todd Jordan reported gains in the city's sports tourism and aquatics programs. "We hosted over 60 sporting events, bringing in over $6.2 million in economic contribution to the city," the mayor said, adding that figure marked "an increase of over $500,000 from the previous year."
The speaker also said the Aquatics Center generated $613,000 in economic contribution, "and that's not including upcoming zonal competitions," calling it "an increase of over $100,000 compared to last year." The report did not specify further detail on how the figures were calculated.
The numbers are the city's own data on returns from publicly funded recreation and aquatics facilities, the kind of figure often used in debates over municipal spending in Mississippi. The report came as the city has also pointed to a new Target store and access road nearby, reflecting how officials have linked infrastructure investment to commercial growth in discussing the city's economic performance.