The city of Annapolis rolled out the red carpet Thursday for thousands of tourists and Republican Gov. Robert Ehrlich to welcome the Volvo Ocean Race to the “sailing capital of America.”
The race stops in Maryland?s bayside capital once every four years and brings a significant boost to the local economy.
“The economic impact is very serious for our city and our state,” Ehrlich said. “We love the sport, we love the market and we love the cash, too.”
The governor cited figures from the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development that showed the ocean race and maritime festival brought in an estimated $52 million and more than 450,000 visitors in 2002.
Hundreds of visitors from around the country and the world with strollers, bicycles and dogs crowded the edge of Annapolis? historic City Dock to greet the boats as they sailed in from their day?s trip down the Chesapeake Bay from Baltimore?s Inner Harbor.
The weekend?s festivities will feature exhibits, retail booths and entertainment centered around sailing and the city?s maritime history.
Connie DelSignore, president of the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Conference and Visitors Bureau, said the average tourist spends $160 per person per day during a visit to Annapolis.
“For me the biggest impact is the immediate boost to the economy,” she said. “But I?m also looking for future business. It?s great, great exposure for us.”
Race participants will spend the weekend in Annapolis before departing for the quick trip to New York City on Sunday, the final U.S. port of call before the race heads back across the Atlantic to Portsmouth, England.
The 32,000-plus-mile ocean race is scheduled to end June 17 in Gothenburg, Sweden.
