High-profile surf contests generated $14.6 million of economic activity in the state last year as they drew international contestants, surfing industry moguls and tourists to the events on O'ahu's North Shore.

That's the conclusion of a new study produced for Vans Inc., a footwear maker that sponsors the Triple Crown of Surfing.

The report found 7,000 people either watched or participated in the events at three beaches on the North Shore, while the events reach a wider audience through media coverage and webcasts.

"The Vans Triple Crown of Surfing is valuable not only because of the surfing-related spending that takes place, but because the youth market it targets is extremely valuable to future Hawai'i tourism marketing efforts," said the report, produced by Markrich Research.

"The young surfing visitors of today are likely to be the adult repeat visitors of tomorrow."

The Triple Crown of Surfing is made up of three events in November and December that conclude the professional surfing contest year.

The study shows the Vans Triple Crown, often overshadowed by the NFL's Pro Bowl and the Honolulu Marathon, is a significant contributor to sports tourism in the state.

While sports tourism is small, it can be important in attracting people who might not otherwise come to Hawai'i or visit at different times of the year.

The state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism reports a total of 135,240 people came to view or participate in events here last year. A total of 7.4 million tourists visited Hawai'i last year.

The Markrich study found direct spending from the surf contests was $8.9 million and included $6.18 million of expenditures by visitors who came specifically for the Triple Crown. It said about 1,500 people made their trip specifically to watch the surf competition, while another 1,650 visitors planned one day of viewing the competitions. The events also attracted 164 competitors and 223 media people.

In addition, the events were seen by 1.9 million people on the Internet, the report said. It estimated contest attendance on the last day of competition at more than 7,000 people. The direct expenditures were $2 million higher than the last study on the Triple Crown's impact in 2002.

"The value of the contest was not only in visitor spending but in branding Hawai'i and the North Shore of O'ahu as an important visitor destination," the report said.

It estimated the total sales generated by the Triple Crown at $14.6 million when secondary impacts of the spending were considered. This included estimated taxes of $800,000.

The spending estimate was the result of interviews and surveys conducted by Markrich Research, which also used average daily visitor spending figures provided by the state.

Reach Greg Wiles at gwiles@honoluluadvertiser.com.