Shakira not only attracted throngs of locals to her sold-out concert last week at Valley Children’s Stadium, she also pulled in fans from far beyond Fresno, providing a strong economic boost for the city.
A total of 9,718 visitors who live at least 50 miles outside of Fresno attended the Shakira concert and spent $2,142,286 on lodging, transportation to food & beverage, retail and recreation, according to the tourism agency Visit Fresno County.
“I think these numbers definitely exceeded expectations. We were not expecting flights for the Shakira concert, so that was wonderful to see,” said Lisa Oliveira, CEO of Visit Fresno County…