Editor's note: We are correcting the 2018 and 2019 Sea Otter attendance figures published in this article on April 22. The numbers in the table included with the article are now correct. We apologize for the confusion.
MONTEREY, Calif. (BRAIN) — Attendance at this month's Sea Otter Classic was about 71,000 people over four days, nearly 10,000 more than last October's event, but shy of pre-pandemic figures for the event. The event also accounted for $71 million in economic impact to Monterey County.
Life Time, which acquired the event last year, said this week that 2022 attendance included 6,400 athletes. The event also counted 7,000 campers and 338 media members (both included in the 71,000 figure). The 2022 Sea Otter Classic had about 750 brands represented at its expo, down from about 1,000 brands in 2019, but up from the approximately 350 brands at last fall's expo.
The inaugural Sea Otter Classic Summit, a three-day industry conference held in Monterey prior to the consumer festival, had 205 registrants. Attendees came from the bike, snow sports, outdoor, running and overland markets.
Recent Sea Otter Classic attendance:
- 2022: 71,000
- 2021: 61,500
- 2020: not held
- 2019: 74,000
- 2018: 70,000.
Sea Otter conducted an economic impact study of the event using a model it said was provided by the Walton Family Foundation and PeopleForBikes.
The analysis looked at factors including the number of participants and party size, hotel spending, average stay, and daily spending. The total amount spent on lodging was $16,445,766. Participants spent $10,130,537 on food and beverage, and an additional $14,507,436 on shopping, travel, tourism and entertainment. More than 30% of attendees have a median household income in excess of $200,000, while 86% of the participants traveled more than 50 miles and stayed in Monterey County for an average of four days.
“The Life Time Sea Otter Classic is an important event for the cycling industry and a significant driver of tourism and economic activity for Monterey County,” said Sea Otter Classic founder Frank Yohannan. “In addition to the economic, social and health benefits it provides our residents, the event is the largest gathering of cycling enthusiasts in North America. Sea Otter is the premier event for professional networking and provides a terrific opportunity to introduce a new generation to the wonderful sport of cycling,” Yohannan added.
