By Jessica Johnson
Contributing Writer

Every footfall of the Cooper River Bridge Run in Charleston and every visitor at the Flowertown Festival in Summerville brought fistfuls of dollars to the tri-county region.

Both events, held during the March 31 weekend, brought tens of thousands of people to the Lowcountry.

The 29th annual Cooper River Bridge Run’s new route, which traversed the new Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, attracted 33,596, a number representing those who finished. But Julian Smith, the race director, said not all walkers put on a chip that would have tracked their time.

“They just don’t care about their score,” Smith said.

Last year’s race had 18,000 finishers. This year’s event tracked walkers for the first time, which accounted for the increased number of participants.

Smith estimated more than 42,000 participated in the April 1 race. And with participants came families and friends who spent about $25 million in the area, Smith said. The race itself generated $800,000 in sponsorships and $1.2 million in entry fees.

At least some of the bridge runners also made it to Summerville’s Flowertown Festival, held March 31-April 2. The Summerville Family YMCA holds the event each year to raise money for its programs. This year, organizers estimated 230,000 people passed by booths along Main Street and through Azalea Park.

The 34th annual festival included 220 arts and crafts vendors, 100 booths for business and civic organizations, and 14 restaurant stations.

“It was the largest crowd ever and the most successful festival ever,” said Liz Graham, the Summerville Family YMCA membership and marketing director.

Merchants told Graham they sold more items this year than in previous Flowertown Festivals. Some merchants reported selling out of items on Saturday, April 1.

Each year the festival generates about $80,000 for the YMCA, making it the organization’s major fundraiser for the year. The event raises funds through booth fees rather than taking a percentage of sales. Admission to the event is free.

Outside visitors to both the bridge run and the festival also boosted hotel occupancy in Charleston, Dorchester and Berkeley counties.

According to the College of Charleston’s Hospitality Performance Index System within the Hospitality and Tourism Management Department of the college, hotel occupancy of the tri-county area’s 15,000 rooms increased that week to 89.9%, up from 83.7% the prior week.

Bing Pan, the head of research for the College of Charleston’s Office of Tourism Analysis, estimated occupancy rates for the March 31st weekend rose as high as 98%.

The added demand for rooms increased average hotel rates to $168 per night. Two weeks earlier, visitors paid $134 for a room in the tri-county area, Pan said.

That, in turn, boosted average gross revenues per room from $99 dollars per night to $144 per night.

“Hotels are doing pretty good. We have many people complain that it’s hard to find a hotel room in the Charleston area,” Pan said.

But visitors bring in more than just hotel revenues, Pan said, noting that each visitor spends an average of $225 per day in the Charleston area.

By that calculation, the estimated 60,000 visitors attracted by the Cooper River Bridge Run would have brought in $13.5 million in one day.

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