At the Aug. 16 regular Alpine city council meeting, Director of Tourism Stewart Ramser said Viva Big Bend results showed great success for businesses throughout the area. According to Ramser, Alpine, Marfa, Fort Davis and Marathon were the big winners, but parks and other attractions brought in extra income over the course of the four-day event. He put the event’s economic impact $2.5 million, including hotels and motels, food sales, event tickets and souvenir sales.
Ramser also reported 73 percent of visitors were from out of town, 24 percent were in the area for the first time, and 97 percent said they would return to the Big Bend.
