Augusta is gearing up for the 2025 Masters Week that kicked off earlier this week with the first round for the Augusta National Women’s Amateur (ANWA) at Champions Retreat Golf Club in Evans. The final round will be played April 5th at Augusta National Golf Club (ANGC), followed by the Drive, Chip Putt competition on April 6th. The tournament practice rounds begin on April 7th.
Destination Augusta says it is ready to welcome longtime visitors and newcomers to the Spring tradition. Bennish Brown, President and CEO, said Augusta was born ready.
“From our natural hospitality of this community, we are always ready to be host. That’s how we’re hardwired. We’re hardwired to host,” he told ABD. “It’s so magical at this time of year. It’s like Augusta puts on its Spring hat. The flowers are blooming. We’re going to look lovely.”
Brown said the drawing power of the tournament has ripple effects across all segments of the local economy, with money and employment for tourism leading the way.
“From our airport to our dining to all the different services you can think of, the Masters really helps support our small businesses. Small businesses are the lifeblood of tourism, because those are most of the things that, more often than not, are the unique aspects of a community,” he said.
The numbers support Brown. Destination Augusta provided a breakdown of the hotel/motel impact, based on the latest figures from 2024, according to reports from the data and analytical firm STR.
Overall hotel/motel revenue increased between 6% to 8% over the last three years. Looking at the April year-over-year reports, April 2022, which was the first post-pandemic tournament, Augusta saw $26 million in hotel/motel revenue. That climbed to $28 million in April 2023, a 6.85% increase. The revenue jumped to $30.2 million last year. That’s an increase of 7.86%.
Augusta’s tax collections also saw a spike. According to the City of Augusta, lodging tax collections for an average month in 2024 are $186,600. It tripled to $602,700 in April 2024.
Destination Augusta also has information on credit card spending from TransUnion Credit Card Data. It shows $34.2 million for the month of April 2024, a 9.2% increase over last year. That is a 358% increase over the average of $9.55 million for other months.
“We always talk about it being the 13th month in just a matter of a week or a week and a half. These small businesses are making as much revenue during that condensed period of time as they would in an entire month,” explained Brown. “And it’s all kinds of businesses, the ripple effect. Think about the landscaping companies. Think about the carpenters, the painters who are small independent businesses. If we look at trends, our projection is that it’ll continue the growth that we’ve seen since 2022.”
The City of Augusta will welcome visitors with an annual tradition. The Mayor’s Masters Reception will be on Saturday, April 5, at the Augusta Common at 836 Reynolds Street, starting at 5 p.m. The free event, started in 1999, celebrates golfing greats and the impact the sport has on the community. It will feature music, food trucks, and fireworks. This year’s honoree is veteran broadcaster Jim Nantz.
A popular downtown location is Augusta & Co. at 1010 Broad Street. It combines business, as the headquarters for Destination Augusta and information for tourists, with a shopping experience.
“When people come into Augusta & Company, they love the feel of it because it is both, and they quickly gather that, oh, this is about sharing with me things I can see and do in Augusta, but it also allows me to have a little bit of an experience. The products we sell are an introduction of things that are made here in the region, things that also represent just our Southern way of life,” said Brown.
Learn more about the storefront at www.visitaugusta.com/experience-center/
