ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – It was a packed house at University Stadium the weekend after Christmas with fans attending the New Mexico Bowl which featured Texas Christian University and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Story continues below Community: Pillar of Albuquerque cycling community killed in hit and run Entertainment: ABQ city councilors request funding for playscape at balloon museum Crime: Will Couy Griffin accept a pardon for his Jan. 6th conviction? “I think what it really comes down to, a, did our guests have a great time, and the student-athlete experience and the fan experience from everything we've gotten back was terrific,” said Jeff Siembieda, Executive Director for the New Mexico Bowl. New Mexico Bowl organizers said this year's crowd was one of the largest at the stadium with almost 23,000 attendees. “That was the highest attended New Mexico bowl since 2018. When you look at the numbers, and I gauge it kind of how are we doing football-wise around the state of New Mexico, and in that stadium, that was the largest crowd that we've had for a non-new Mexico bowl or Lobo-Aggie game since September of 2015,” said Siembieda. The impact was felt beyond the stadium. Visit Albuquerque said the 2024 bowl game brought in around $3.2 million to the city in direct visitor spending. “Each year, it's during a slower tourism season, so it's bringing these great visitors to our city, this great activity, vibrancy, great games, and it's benefiting our economy during a time when we really need it,” said Tania Armenta, CEO and President of Visit Albuquerque. The lodging industry benefited from the two traveling teams as the Sheraton in Uptown hosted the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns. “I mean, we pretty much sold out from, you know, Christmas day through the bowl game, which is great. And that generally doesn't happen on that time of year. It's pretty slow,” said Sarah Wilson, director of sales for the Sheraton Uptown. This was the 19th annual New Mexico Bowl and there is already a buzz for what’s to come next year. “20 years in this community. 20 years of a tradition of a collegiate New Mexico bowl taking place,” said Armenta. “We had the 10th anniversary. It was exciting and fun. So this will just be even better now to have the 20th anniversary,” said Wilson New Mexico Bowl said that viewership is up 44% on broadcast viewing for the game compared to last year with 1.2 million viewers.