how much $$ did Tampa generate during SuperBowl weekend? (hotels, layoffs)

[ASimmons]

I haven't found any exact amount. Does anyone have any solid estimates or links? They are already talking about making a bid for the 2014 game, so I am sure it made us a decent amount of money.

[DC2Tampa]

I don't believe those numbers are released until the end of the week or next week.

Holding the Super Bowl during an economic recession is kind of a double-edged sword. It probably won't bring in as much money as it could've any other time but at the sametime, thank gawd we it did come during the recession to help pump some much needed money into the local economy. Just from walking and driving around town during the weekend, I'd say the figures will be pretty good.

The longterm economic impact will be much harder to gage but I think the area will be on the minds of people for a longtime being one of, if not the best, Super Bowl games in history. Tampa got a lot of great pub and exposure during the week. As I stated in another thread, Tampa Bay has long been considered one of the top three Super Bowl sites and the NFL loved everything about the area, the facilities, the traffic situation(unlike last time when Gasparilla was going on at the sametime), the volunteers, the hotels, just about everything according to NFL commish, Roger Goodell.

So I think Tampa has a GREAT chance to win the 2014 bid and possibly even as early as 2013, which is open but the feeling is that they may want to finally get New Orleans back into the fold post-Katrina in 2013.

[BucFan]

Hope the Bucs get a lot better by then and maybe make it to the playoffs by then (2013/2014).