Bike Week drives economic opportunities

SANDUSKY — Ohio Bike Week jumpstarts the summer tourism industry with the millions of dollars it brings to the area."Ohio Bike Week is huge for the area," said Bryan Edwards, a spokesman for the local tourism bureau Lake Erie Shores & Islands. "It's sort of the unofficial kickoff to summer."Lake Erie Shores & Islands estimates the motorcycle festival — which takes place May 24 to June 2 this year — brings about 150,000 to 200,000 people to the area each year.The increased number of guests helps hotels start on the right foot for the summer season. Attendees are also spending money at other local businesses."They're not just here for one day, they're here for multiple days," Edwards said. "There's direct and indirect spending associated with the event that we calculated easily makes about $10 million for local businesses. It's a huge boost to the area's economy."The event's importance to the area could be seen last year when it suffered slightly by shortening to five days. It returned to its traditional 10-day length this year."Last year, it was a bit smaller and we definitely saw an impact," Edwards said. "By having this 10-day event covering two weekends, it really helps to give people more options to attend."Edwards believes the area benefits by having events like Ohio Bike Week."Events are one of the biggest aspects of promoting tourism anywhere," Edwards said. "People love going and seeing something they don't normally get see."The niche markets that the festivals and the other events bring in allow people to see what this area has to offer, which could lead to future economic possibilities."They might not know about us, but it gives people an excuse to come here and once they see how beautiful this place is it leads to repeat visits," Edwards said. "It could even lead to them wanting to move here, retire here or start a business here."Lake Erie Shores & Islands see Ohio Bike Week and tourism as a whole as great ambassadors for the area."People usually only think of us as heads and beads but what really want is to showcase this place as a great community to not only visit but as one to live, work and retire in," Edwards said.Reach reporter Michael Harrington at michaelharrington@sanduskyregister.com, follow the Register at Facebook.com/SanduskyRegisterIn this May 2018 photo, people descend upon downtown Sandusky for Ohio Bike Week. The annual event is popular among tourists. In 2017, tourists arriving into the area for this attraction helped contribute a record $2.1 billion in tourism-related dollars.