Although the fanfare of the opening night ceremonies and first matches for the 2009 U.S. Open Tennis Championships are in the past, the economic impact the tournament has on Queens is just beginning.
For the next two weeks, the best tennis players in the world – and 750,000 of their biggest supporters – will descend on the tennis complex in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park to watch the final Grand Slam event of the year.
“We think we have continued on an annual basis to create a bigger and better event so that people want to come back,” Danny Zausner, Managing Director of the National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, said in a recent interview with The Courier.
Zausner said that the most recent audit by the City Comptroller showed that the U.S. Open generated more than $400 million in economic activity in the city. Included in this figure are the jobs that the event directly creates.
Zausner mentioned that the USTA hires between 800 and 1,000 people specifically for the event – with some jobs lasting three weeks, but others lasting for month – either leading up to the event or continuing after the event is complete.
With the influx of visitors from all over the city, country and even the world descending on Flushing, businesses, including restaurants, hotels and other shops, are likely to see an uptick in traffic.
“It’s literally like hosting a Mets home stand for 14 straight days with nothing but sell outs,” said Zausner, who mentioned the difference is that the people attending the U.S. Open are coming from all over the world, instead of just within the city or a few hour drive from the ballpark.
Estelle Cooper, Assistant Commissioner for Queens Parks, agreed, praising the Open’s continued ability to draw fans – even during difficult economic times.
“That’s all over the world and that brings a lot of people into the area, that use our restaurants and hotels,” Cooper said. “They fill up most of the hotels around the area.”
Queens Chamber of Commerce Executive Vice President Jack Friedman said that every year the tournament brings a buzz to the borough – as well as tourists who are ready to spend money and take advantage of all the amenities Queens has to offer.
“One of the wonderful things about Flushing Meadows-Corona Park is its close proximity to downtown Flushing, Jackson Heights and Corona,” Friedman said. “Those neighborhoods are filled with restaurants from around the world. These small mom-and-pop restaurants and shops, they benefit by these events especially by those that last longer than a day.”
