Festivities tied to the Forrest Wood Cup took place at the Hot Springs Convention Center and Bank OZK Arena.
This year’s national bass fishing tournament in Hot Springs was quite a tourism lure, according to a leading sports tourism magazine, and it turns out to be one that didn’t get away.
The Forrest Wood Cup, the angling event held in August on Lake Hamilton by Fishing League Worldwide, reeled in an economic impact of $24 million for Hot Springs. That was enough to rank the event as a 2018 Champion of Economic Impact by Sports Destination Management, the largest publication aimed at sports event planners and tournament directors.
The success of the event, held at the lake and at Hot Springs Convention Center and Bank OZK Arena, convinced the fishing league to plan a return next August for the 2019 Cup. Hot Springs, the magazine reported, will be “the first city to host back-to-back Cups in the FLW Tour’s history.”
The magazine honor praises both Fishing League Worldwide and Visit Hot Springs, the city’s tourism agency.
“Hot Springs and FLW have established a great relationship in the 20 years that we have hosted their events, and we are thrilled and grateful that the FLW Cup is returning to our city,” said Steve Arrison, CEO of Visit Hot Springs.
In a statement, Arrison said the event not only brings crowds of money-spenders to the area — last August 60,000 fans and anglers participated — it also highlights “the great fishing, great attractions and great facilities we have here in Hot Springs.”
The magazine also noted that the FLW Expo, held at the convention center, drew “hundreds of exhibitors with not just gear but family-friendly activities and games.”
Arrison said the Hot Springs community “always benefits when FLW comes to town, not only economically and publicity-wise, but also from a great, wholesome time for our residents and visitors alike.”
The Hot Springs tournament and exhibition was one of 30 events on the Sports Destination Management list that contributed more than $700 million to the economy, the magazine said.
The full list is at www.sportsdestinations.com.
Sign up for Daily E-news
