Air show brings in millions

Published Dec. 3, 2015
By MSgt. Andrew Biscoe
439th AW Public Affairs

WESTOVER AIR RESERVE BASE, Mass. -- Besides a first-ever major headline flying act trifecta, this past spring’s Great New England Air Show brought in nearly $15 million to the western Massachusetts economy.

This marked a 21 percent increase from the $12.3 million posted following the 2008 air show.

Air Force officials and a group of volunteers from the Galaxy Community Council gathered Dec. 1 to announce to local media the findings of a recent University of Massachusetts hospitality and tourism management study.

The study showed that 49,000 people stayed overnight in area hotels in order to catch the show. The average amount people traveled one way to get to Westover was 71.5 miles – up from the average of 45 miles from the 2008 air show.

Other figures:
-- Overall group expenditures, $104.56, up from $98 per group in 2008
-- Local residents accounted for 30 percent of the attendees, while out-of-town visitors comprised 70 percent
-- In 2015, 84 percent of the visitors were either satisfied or very satisfied, compared with 77 percent in 2008.

Just over 375,000 visitors came to the base May 16 and 17. The air show honored the 75th anniversary of Westover’s service to America. In addition to the Blue Angels and the Snowbirds, the air show included aerial demonstrations by the F-22 Raptor, one of the world’s most advanced aircraft.

While the date of the next Westover air show hasn’t been confirmed yet, plans call for the next one to take place in 2017 or 2018.