SUMMARY: A U of Sydney professor wasn't playing when he estimated the economic impact of hosting the 2002 Gay Games -- c'mon...just guess how many millions the city stands to make!

For only the second time in Australia, there's been a formal economic impact assessment of a gay and lesbian event, a study of the Gay Games Olympic-style competition should Sydney's bid to host the event in 2002 succeed. Using conservative figures and an estimate of less than 30,000 visitors, Dr. Gary Cox of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Sydney estimated up to A$140-million in increased economic activity for the state of New South Wales, with as much as A$49.8-million more beyond the state's boundaries. Given the uncertainties of looking five years ahead, Cox suggested using a "low end scenario" of a total economic impact for the state of just over A$80-million over a three-week period.

The first event so studied was the 1993 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, which projected a net contribution for the year of A$38-million. This year's Mardi Gras was believed by Tourism Council Australia to have added A$50-million to the national income, A$12-million of it in Sydney -- and that was with less than 10% of the number of tourists expected for the Gay Games. The projected economic impact for the 2002 Gay Games matches that of Manchester's Commonwealth Games for the same year.

Despite the possible goldmine, there was considerable controversy over the state government's April grant of A$75,000 to develop Sydney's third bid to host the 6th quadrennial games. Eight Australian Labor Party (ALP) Members of the NSW Parliament called the grant a political embarrassment in an unsuccessful effort to block it -- and made an embarrassing display of their own ignorant stereotyping of gay men in the process. At the same time, a National Party leader asserted that the games would discriminate against heterosexuals. In reality, heterosexuals are welcome to compete.

The 1994 Gay Games in New York City was exceptional because of the additional events and drawing power in connection with the 25th anniversary of the historic 1969 uprising at the Stonewall Inn, Cox noted. Those games were estimated to have generated US$140-million in direct and indirect economic effects. The 1998 games will be held in Amsterdam, and Cox plans to perform additional surveys once they're completed in order to refine his estimates for 2002. Selection of the winning host bid for the games will be announced in November.

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