Hockey tournament generates huge economic impact for Oneida County

UTICA — The IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship held in Utica from April 3–14, 2024 brought 70,000 more visitors to Oneida County and generated at least $3.4 million in consumer spending. That’s according to a recent report issued by Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente, Jr. “Hosting the 2024 IIHF Women’s World Championship in Utica was an incredible success for Oneida County,” Picente said in a statement. “With the tournament helping to attract 70,000 more visitors to our region and an economic impact far exceeding the county’s investment, this event not only showcased our community on the international stage, but also strengthened our local businesses and reinforced our reputation as a premier destination for world-class events. We are proud of the teamwork and hospitality that made this achievement possible.” The 12-day sporting event is the premier international tournament in women’s ice hockey. It featured 10 women’s national hockey teams from around the globe that competed in 29 games at the Adirondack Bank Center and University Nexus Center. Canada won the title, defeating USA in the final. Adirondack Sports Council — the firm Oneida County used to help organize, execute, and promote the hockey tournament, compiled the economic impact report. Total attendance across all 29 hockey games was 68.840, with an average per-game attendance of 2,373. Attendance at the Subaru World Championship Village fan zone totaled 11,352. The Adirondack Bank Center broke its modern-day attendance record twice during the tournament, which was the highest-ever attended in the U.S. From March 1 to April 30, 2024, Oneida County drew 1 million visitors, or 70,000 more than the 930,000 visitors for the same period in 2023. In the same timeframe, the Adirondack Bank Center and University Nexus Center welcomed 21,600 more visitors than the previous year. Hotel occupancy rates were also higher in April 2024 than April 2023, showing a 6 percent increase in demand, 9 percent bump in occupancy, 16 percent rise in daily rate, and 22 percent jump in revenue. Based on an average per-person spend of $50 per game, the hockey tournament generated $3,442,000 in spending. Bed tax revenue increased 6.7 percent to $701,372 for the quarter when the tournament took place when compared to the previous year. Sales tax revenue was $12,488,148 for the reporting period ending May 7, 2024, up 4.3 percent from $11,969,900 the year before. As of December 2024, the entire second quarter (when the tournament took place) was the highest performing quarter for sales tax at $50,538,142, up 3.9 percent from the same quarter in 2023. Visitor data is attributed to Placer.ai and does not include international visitors. Hotel occupancy data was provided by Oneida County Tourism. The full report is available online at https://oneidacountyny.gov/assets/IIHF-Final-Report.pdf.