AFC Championship game expected to boost Providence economy

By: Chloe Leshner

cleshner@abc6.com

@cleshnerabc6

PROVIDENCE (WLNE) — It is a big weekend for Patriots fans and the city of Providence as the AFC Championship game is expected to bring hundreds of thousands of dollars into the city.

We all know the Patriots are great at what they do on the field, but they also do great things off the field by helping the local economy. Having the home field advantage and the game right up 95 in Foxboro is a big boost for restaurants and hotels here in Providence as businesses plan for what they expect to be a very busy and very successful AFC Championship weekend.

Regardless of the outcome of Sunday’s Patriots Jaguars game, the city of Providence will be victorious this weekend.

"We get the lion share of the business for hotels and restaurants because basically everyone stays in Providence," says John Gibbons with the Rhode Island Sports Commission.

Roughly 450 hotel rooms are booked, many of them filled with the Jaguars, the CBS broadcast crew, plus the men and women from NFL Films. And according to Gibbons, they have money to burn, with their expense accounts adding up to a nice addition for the local economy.

"It includes the teams staying in hotels, the catering, the restaurant business, they charter into Green airport so the expenses there, they hire local buses to bring everyone up to the stadium," says Gibbons.

This financial impact, even with the Patriots’ winning ways, can’t be planned for so it will really give places like Murphy’s Pub an unanticipated boost.

"We have a lot of locals that support, obviously, the Patriots and every time they’re in a championship game, it’s really good for business, its good for Providence and it’s really good for Murphy’s," says Patrick "Twiggy" Coen with Murphy’s.

And playing the Jags helps. They haven’t been in the playoffs in a while so a lot of their loyal fans will be making the trip north, so don’t be surprised if you see people in Jaguar gear walking around downtown.

"We do the banter going back and forth and busting each others chops. People come over from the Omni Hotel or the Biltmore," says Coen.

Gibbons says this weekend’s game will mean more than $600,000 for the local economy.

(C) WLNE/ABC 6 2018