Northwest Arkansas Business Journal - NWABusinessJournal.com

Art Feeds Local Economy

Beauty, it’s said, is in the eye of the beholder. So, too, might be the economic impact created thus far in Benton County by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. The Bentonville Convention and Visitors Bureau has touted year-over-year increases in hotel and restaurant tax collections for both November and December, purportedly a result of people visiting the museum. Hotel tax collections are up in Rogers, too, and positive ripple effects have been felt as far away as Eureka Springs. Determining just how much of the increased activity is directly due to the opening of Crystal Bridges, however, is an inexact science. Hoteliers, restaurateurs and city officials alike agree on that much. Some of the increases in tax collections are eye-popping, though, and Bentonville CVB president and... [ MORE ]