Mayor-President Edwards and Visit Baton Rouge Highlight Major Economic Impact of U.S. Bowling Congress

Baton Rouge, La.—The USBC Open Championships took place at the Raising Cane’s River Center from March-July 2025 and attracted more than 58,000 registered bowlers, plus their fans.

The economic impact represents dollars that have been spent by bowlers and their guests around our local community at hotels, retail stores, restaurants, gas stations, the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport, coffee shops, and more. Their expenditures result in tax dollars for the City-Parish that help pay for infrastructure, public safety and education.

“Events like the USBC Championships show what happens when preparation meets opportunity,” said Mayor-President Sid Edwards. “Visitors came to Baton Rouge and invested directly in our local economy by supporting restaurants, hotels, small businesses, and the workers behind them. That kind of impact matters for our residents and improves quality of life across the parish.  

Though Visit Baton Rouge awaits final occupancy reports from July, the average occupancy from March-June saw a 6.2% year-over-year increase. Additionally, data shows that 34.5% of visitor spend at this time was at a retail partner and 29.7% was spent at a restaurant partner, indicating interest from bowlers and their guests in our local businesses.

“What makes Baton Rouge a standout isn’t the numbers alone – it’s the city’s ability to host extended, multi-month events that require sustained engagement and coordination,” said Visit Baton Rouge president and CEO Jill Kidder. “An event of this scale showcases the best of our city with hospitality from our restaurants, hotels and retail partners that make a visitor more likely to return. We are grateful for the support of the Mayor and City-Parish to help make this event successful and drive tourism during months that are traditionally quieter for local businesses.”

This tournament not only brought significant dollars to our city but also broke records for the U.S. Bowling Congress. Over 11,600 teams of bowlers registered for this year’s event—the most for the tournament since the last time it was held in Baton Rouge in 2012, beating attendance in major cities like Las Vegas.

“Investments made more than a decade ago – like the ones made by Visit Baton Rouge, the City Parish and the state delegation through the Louisiana Economic Development Major Events Fund to host USBC – are paying dividends in 2025 for our Parish residents,” Kidder said. “An event of this size also underscores our need for continued investment in future events and the development of our tourism facilities.”

The last bowlers of U.S. Bowling Congress Open Championships will compete this afternoon. Learn more about the tournament here.

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About Visit Baton Rouge

Visit Baton Rouge is the designated Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) for East Baton Rouge Parish, responsible for promoting and showcasing the region. Our primary mission is to increase visitation to and awareness of the Baton Rouge area thereby enhancing economic impact. Find recent press releases and tourism news at visitbatonrouge.com/media/press-releases. Join our social media community and follow us @visitbatonrouge.

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