Monday, April 17, 2006

FUZZY MATH IN MACON OVER ECONOMIC IMPACT FROM BICYCLE RACE "TOUR DE GEORGIA"

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_2814191

The above post is from Denver and talks about bicycle tours that leave behind about $175,000 in each community from the race that generates about $1.5 million in total for the entire tour. I had to do my own research when I heard Janice Marshall when interviewed on Fox 24 say that the tour here in Macon would generate $1 to $1.5 million. That sounded a little like fuzzy math, so I did my own research. Ms. Marshall forgot to break down the amount that would be left behind in Macon. Fuzzy math again, which is much like what we have heard about the amount of tourism that warrants a Convention Hotel being built. If people want to watch the bicycles wizz by, that is great. But PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE QUIT DISTORTING THE FACTS!

For one thing, no one analyzes the opportunity cost of hosting such a race through Macon. Opportunity costs such as workers setting up and cleaning up for a race, when they could possibly be put to work cleaning up a blighted area of Macon or the opportunity costs of the government workers that leave their work areas to view the race or the opportunity costs of private sector workers that are not generating revenue while watching a bicycle race. Don't you just love the fairy tale spins of our Visitors and Conventions Bureau?

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