Randy Cohen of Americans for the Arts creates an annual list of 10 Reasons to Support the Arts. Here at the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County, we are fortunate to see all of these reasons at the local level. This summer we are going to showcase a local example to support each of Cohen’s reasons.

Reason #5
Arts drive tourism and revenue to local businesses.

Attendees at nonprofit arts events spend $31.47 per person, per event, beyond the cost of admission on items such as meals, parking, and babysitters—valuable commerce for local businesses. 34 percent of attendees live outside the county in which the arts event takes place; they average $47.57 in event-related spending. Arts travelers are ideal tourists, staying longer and spending more to seek out authentic cultural experiences.

In Sarasota in 2015, over 1.2 million tourists enjoyed our local arts and culture. It is estimated that those tourists spent over $46,000,000!

The Sarasota Opera House draws visitors from all over the world. Last year, more than 40,000 people enjoyed the Sarasota Opera, 42% of which were tourists. This included people from both Americas, Europe, Asia, and Australia (including countries like Canada, Argentina, Italy, Germany, Russia, Czech republic, Japan and Australia), and 49 of the 50 American states!

Learn about all 10 local reasons here.