Babe Ruth tourney pitched cool million at Kitsap

By Rachel Pritchett

The local economy made hay to the tune as much as $1 million last month when the Babe Ruth World Series came to visit.

It’s nothing to sneeze at when nine teams and all those admiring families make a pilgrimage to Kitsap for a tournament that lasts 10 days.

Take the hotel tab alone.

While the kids stayed with host families, the Kitsap Visitor & Convention Bureau and tournament organizers estimated that out-of-town families booked 150 local hotel rooms for a total of 1,500 hotel nights. That’s a conservative estimate. Most stayed in Silverdale and Poulsbo hotels, with a few in Bremerton.

Considering that the people who booked those rooms paid about $200 a day for hotel and meals, that amounted to a $300,000 money infusion for Kitsap.

“However, we heard that many of the rooms had two to four guests each Just two extra guests at $75 a day would generate another $225,000 for the Kitsap economy,” said Patricia Graf-Hoke, executive director of the visitors’ bureau.

The estimated 250 players and support staff that stayed in host home likely ate out, as well, to say nothing of buying gas, and shopping.

And don’t forget the banquet the kids and families had at Kiana Lodge in Poulsbo. Some 635 people at $20 per person made that a $12,500 evening, plus tip.

The bureau estimates some 1,500 more visitors at $100 a day for 10 days added another $150,000.

Throw in the multiplier effect where money turns over and over again in the local economy, and the total approaches $1 million.

Graf-Hoke hopes that she and other Kitsap promoters now might be able to attract new mega-tournaments.
“That’s a definite letter of recommendation,” she said.
But the money didn’t come easy. It’s been a four-year effort between tournament co-directors Russ Barkerand Brent Stenman to lure the series here.

“It was an unbelievable amount of work,” Stenman said.

Altogether, tourism annually generates $500 million in revenues annually in Kitsap, and supports 6,700 jobs, according to Graf-Hoke.