MLB's decision to relocate its All-Star Game will cost Georgia $100 million, a tourism official says

Voters in Georgia. The new voting law has proved divisive.

AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File

• MLB's move to relocate its All-Star Game will cost state $100 million, according to an official.
• The loss will further delay recovery from the pandemic, Holly Quinlan told CNN.
• The league's decision was likely the "1st of many dominoes to fall," Atlanta's mayor said.
• See more stories on Insider's business page.

Major League Baseball's (MLB) decision to relocate its 2021 All-Star Game could cost Georgia's economy more than $100 million, a county tourism official has said.

Local hotels were already hit hard by the pandemic, Holly Quinlan, chief executive of Cobb Travel & Tourism, told told CNN.

"The 8,000-plus MLB contracted hotel room nights that will not actualize as a result of the MLB All-Star Game relocation will have a negative impact on Cobb's hospitality industry and other local businesses, further delaying recovery," she said.

The league's decision was likely the "1st of many dominoes to fall," Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said on Friday.

The divisive election law has led to calls for many calls for boycotts. President Joe Biden called the law a "blatant attack on the Constitution and good conscience."

Former President Donald Trump, who backs the law, called for fans to boycott MLB. Trump on Saturday added to a list of companies that he'd like his supporters to boycott.

Former ESPN sportscaster Keith Olbermann, meanwhile, called for fans to boycott the Masters golf tournament that begins Thursday at Georgia's Augusta National Golf Club.

-Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) April 4, 2021

The hospitality industry in Atlanta brings in about $16 billion annually, according to the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau.

That organization issued a statement opposing "any legislation or action that restricts the rights or impacts access for Black, Brown and underrepresented communities to participate in the democratic process."

It said: "We believe in a fair, accessible and secure election process for all Georgians."

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