The World Equestrian Games happening at the Tryon International Equestrian Center will bring an economic boost to our neighbors to the north as well as the Upstate
One of the largest commercial airlifts of horses in history has already began this week at Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport in preparation for the FEI World Equestrian Games. Last Sunday, Emirates Boeing 777 has transported 67 horses from Liege, Belgium. This is the first of 10 that will touch down at the airport. The airline will move a total of 550 horses participating in the World Equestrian Games which are slated to run Sept. 11-23 in Mill Spring, NC, a close neighbor of Spartanburg and Greenville Counties.
The World Equestrian Games are expected to add an economic boost not just on our neighbors to the north, but Spartanburg and Greenville counties as well, thanks in part to some half a million expected spectators and participants from around the world, according to figures from the Fédération Équestre Internationale, the International Olympic Committee of the equestrian sports world.
The FEI World Equestrian Games are anticipated to be the highest attended sporting event in the U.S. in 2018 and the fourth largest in the world behind the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, the World Cup in Russia, and the Tour de France. The games are held every four years in the middle of the Olympic cycle. The Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC) officials said the event could attract more than 1,000 riders, 1,500 horses, and 500,000 spectators from 70 countries.
To put it mildly, this is going to take a lot of lodging. The lodging business aren’t certainly the only ones benefiting from this big sporting event. Restaurants and attractions as well. Because the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport is the designated airport of entry for the games, there is going to be an economic impact as visitors explore the Upstate’s additional amenities.
Hotels in the Spartanburg and Greenville counties are expected to be packed and the restaurants and attractions of the two major cities are sure to be the temporary parading grounds for the sightseeing soles of the equestrian games spectators from around the world over the 13-day event.
Greenville’s Euphoria couldn’t be happening at a better time as it will run September 20-23, overlapping with the WEG event. Euphoria hopes to attract WEG attendees to Greenville’s signature food and wine festival.
The WEG is also needing an army of workers to make sure the games will go off without a hitch. There will be a need for many volunteers and temporary full time staffs to handle the two-weeks event.
Tickets for all the competitions are popular and sell out quickly. For more information about tickets, scheduling, volunteer opportunities, lodging and hospitality opportunities, vendors, and sponsors, visit the WEG site at: www.tryon2018.com.
