RICHMOND – Sports ETA, the trade association for the sports events and tourism industry, named Virginia in its Top 10 list of U.S. states in terms of the economic impact generated by sports tourism in 2023.
This announcement was made last month at the Sports ETA Symposium in Portland, Oregon, in the association’s annual “State of the Industry Report” for 2023. The report also stated that sports tourism across the country contributed to a direct spending impact of $52.2 billion, which generated a total economic impact of $128 billion. This contribution supported 757,600 full-time and part-time jobs and contributed $20.1 billion in taxes to various sectors of the economy.
Data provided by sports tourism industry stakeholders and economic data were utilized in the ranking analysis. Sports tourism marketing funds and other initiatives, such as bid fees and local grants, also influenced how states performed. Virginia joins other states such as Florida, Texas, and California in its rankings.
According to a study by Virginia Tourism Corporation and Tourism Economics released in 2023, sports tourism in Virginia generated $2.7 billion in direct spending in 2022 and accounted for nearly 8% of Virginia’s overall visitor economy, directly contributing $2.4 billion in visitor spending. Sports-related travelers spent $7.3 million every day in Virginia in 2022. Additionally in 2022, sports tourism directly employed 28,138 Virginians and drove $344 million in state & local tax revenues.
“We are thrilled to see Virginia’s sports tourism industry be acknowledged as one of the best in the country,” said Rita McClenny, President & CEO for Virginia Tourism Corporation. “Accolades such as this show the significant impact sports tourism has on the economic growth of the Commonwealth by creating job opportunities, driving development in new infrastructure and venues, increasing tax revenue, and boosting local businesses in the area.”
"We are elated to be recognized as a top state in the U.S. in terms of economic impact generated by sport tourism and are very proud of our partners throughout the Commonwealth for their ongoing efforts to make Virginia a premier sports destination,” said Danish Saadat, National Sales & Marketing Manager for Virginia Tourism Corporation and representative of Sports Virginia, the statewide collaboration of professionals from local convention and visitor bureaus, sports commissions, parks and recreation departments and facilities.
Sports tourism played a pivotal role in Virginia’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic with visitor spending fully recovering in 2021 and by 2022, exceeding pre-pandemic levels. In 2022, Virginia’s sports spending exceeded 2019 levels by 17%, and sports visitation saw an 11% increase compared to 2019 levels. To further speed recovery, Virginia Tourism Corporation utilized $1 million of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to support a Sports Marketing Incentive Program. The funds were used for event incentives and marketing promotions targeted specifically at attracting new sports tournaments and competitions to spur economic activity and travel across the Commonwealth.
For more information on Virginia Tourism Corporation’s 2022 Sports Tourism Impact study, visit vatc.org/research/
