Sports Tourism:
State of the Industry Report (2019)
W W W . T O U R I S M E C O N O M I C S . C O M
Supported by:
Prepared for:
2
1 | Introduction
3
2 | Key Findings
4
3 | Sports
-Related Travel Volume & Spending
5
4 | Economic Impacts
10
5 | COVID
-19 Impacts
22
6 | Destination Profiles
25
TABLE OF CONTENTS
3
Sports tourism* is an integral part of local and national economies
across the US. Travelers attending sports tournaments, races, and
other events – either as a participant or spectator – generate
significant economic benefits to households, businesses, and
governments alike and represent a critical driver of the overall
economy.
By monitoring the sports tourism economy, policymakers can
inform decisions regarding the funding and prioritization of the
sector’s development. They can also carefully monitor its
successes and future needs. And by establishing a baseline of
economic impacts, the industry can track its progress over time.
To quantify the economic significance of the sports tourism sector
in the U.S., Tourism Economics prepared a comprehensive model
using multiple primary and secondary data sources to quantify the
economic impacts arising from sports-related travel spending.
Impact modeling is based on an IMPLAN Input-Output (I-O) model
for the U.S. The results of this study show the scope of the sports
tourism sector in terms of direct sports-related travel spending, as
well as total economic impacts, including employment, household
income, and tax impacts in the broader economy.
*For purposes of this report, “sports tourism” includes adult and youth
amateur events and collegiate tournaments. The economic impact
analyses conducted within the report exclude professional sports and
collegiate regular season games.
In addition to estimating the economic benefits generated by
sports tourism in 2019 – a critical benchmark year as 2019
establishes the high watermark – the State of the Industry (“SOTI”)
Report also estimates the losses in 2020 due to COVID-19 and
provides an overview of the key characteristics for the Sports
Events & Tourism Association’s (“Sports ETA”) destination
members (i.e. local sports commission, convention and visitors
bureau, chamber of commerce).
The analysis draws on the following data sources:
• Sports ETA: membership survey data
• Longwoods International: traveler survey data, including
spending and visitor profile characteristics for sports tourism
nationwide
• Bureau of Economic Analysis and Bureau of Labor Statistics:
employment and wage data, by industry
• U.S. Travel Association: domestic travel data
• STR: lodging data
• Sports attendance data
INTRODUCTION
4
Sports Travelers
Nearly 180 million people traveled to a sports event in
the U.S. in 2019 either as a participant or spectator,
which generated 69 million room nights.
Sports-Related Travel Spending
Sports travelers, event organizers, and venues spent
$45.1 billion in 2019, which generated $103.3 billion in
business sales when including indirect and induced
impacts.
Fiscal Contributions
Sports tourism generated $14.6 billion in tax revenues in
2019, with $6.8 billion accruing to state and local
governments.
Employment Generator
A total of 739,386 jobs were sustained by sports tourism
in 2019. This included 410,762 direct and 328,624
indirect and induced jobs.
KEY FINDINGS
The sports tourism sector is a driver
of the U.S. economy
SPORTS-RELATED TRAVEL
VOLUME & SPENDING
6
169
171
174
176
179
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Sports traveler counts
2.0%
0.8%
1.8%
1.2%
The number of travelers attending sports events in
the U.S. increased by more than 10 million since
2015.
Sports traveler levels and annual growth
Amounts in millions of travelers and year-over-year percentage growth
In 2019, the number of sports travelers grew 2.0%, capping
5.9% cumulative growth over the five-year period.
Sport traveler counts for adult and youth amateur events
were estimated using visitor data from Longwoods
International and Sports ETA SOTI survey results.
The following methodology was used to estimate the
number of collegiate tournament sports travelers:
1) Professional and collegiate sports travelers: Longwoods
International and Sports ETA SOTI survey results provided
the total number of professional and collegiate sports
travelers
2) Removed professional sports: Attendance data from the
NCAA and the five major professional sports leagues was
used to remove professional sports from the analysis
3) Removed collegiate regular season: NCAA regular season
and tournament attendance data was then used to remove
the collegiate regular season attendance, which resulted in
the total number of collegiate tournament sports travelers
SPORTS-RELATED TRAVEL
VOLUME & SPENDING
5.9%
Source: Sports ETA, Longwoods International, US Travel Association, NBA, NCAA, NFL,
NHL, MLB, MLS, Tourism Economics
7
$38.7
$39.4
$41.4
$42.9
$45.1
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Sports-related travel spending
Spending by sports travelers, event organizers, and
venues increased by $2.2 billion to $45.1 billion in
2019.
Sports travelers, event organizers, and venues
spent $6.4 billion more in 2019 than in 2015.
Over the five years through 2019, sports tourism
spending increased 16.7%.
Sports-related travel spending and annual growth
Amounts in billions of nominal dollars and year-over-year percentage growth
5.2%
3.6%
5.2%
1.8%
16.7%
Source: Sports ETA, Longwoods International, US Travel Association, Tourism Economics
SPORTS-RELATED TRAVEL
VOLUME & SPENDING
8
Sports travelers, event organizers, and venues spent
$12.5 billion on transportation, $9.2 billion on lodging,
and $8.6 billion on food and beverages. Entertainment,
retail, and tournament operations rounded out
spending, registering $5.7 billion, $5.1 billion, and $3.9
billion, respectively.
The lodging sector accounted for 20% of all sports-
related travel spending. In 2019, sports-related travel
generated 69 million room nights, which is an important
factor given that hotel taxes are a primary funding
source for many entities (refer to pages 28 and 37 for
additional information).
Sports travelers, event organizers, and venues
spent $45.1 billion across a wide range of sectors
in 2019.
Sports-related travel spending
$45.1B SPORTS-RELATED TRAVEL SPENDING (2019)
LODGING
$9.2B
FOOD &
BEVERAGE
$8.6B
ENTERTAINMENT
$5.7B
RETAIL
$5.1B
TRANSPORTATION
$12.5B
TOURNAMENT
OPERATIONS
$3.9B
Source: Tourism Economics
SPORTS-RELATED TRAVEL
VOLUME & SPENDING
9
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Total travelers 169.3 171.4 174.4 175.9 179.3
Day 79.6 80.6 82.5 80.9 83.0
Overnight 89.6 90.7 91.9 95.0 96.4
Total traveler spending $35,217 $35,817 $37,726 $39,100 $41,174
Day $5,472 $5,700 $6,138 $6,137 $6,574
Overnight $29,745 $30,118 $31,587 $32,963 $34,600
Per traveler spending $208 $209 $216 $222 $230
Day $69 $71 $74 $76 $79
Overnight $332 $332 $344 $347 $359
Total sports travelers and sports-related travel spending
Amounts in millions of sports travelers and millions of nominal dollars
Sports traveler counts and sports-related
travel spending
The number of individual sports travelers that stayed
overnight grew by 1.4 million to reach 96.4 million in
2019.
An estimated 54% of all sports travelers spent the
night in the event destination, which generated 69
million room nights in 2019.
Sports travelers that stayed overnight spent $359 per
person trip, an increase of $12 year-over-year, while
day trippers spent $79 per person trip in 2019.
Sports travelers that stayed overnight supported
overall sports tourism growth.
Note: event organizer and venue spending on tournament operations is excluded from above
table. In 2019, this amounted to $3.9 billion.
Source: Tourism Economics
SPORTS-RELATED TRAVEL
VOLUME & SPENDING
ECONOMIC IMPACTS
11
Our analysis of spending attributable to sports
tourism in the U.S. begins with actual sports-
related travel spending by sports travelers,
event organizers, and venues, but also
considers the downstream effects of this
injection of spending into the local and
national economy. To determine the total
economic impact of sports tourism, we input
the spending into a model of the national U.S.
economy in IMPLAN. This approach calculates
three distinct types of impact: direct, indirect,
and induced.
The impacts on business sales, jobs, wages,
and taxes are calculated for all three levels of
impact.
How sports-related travel spending
generates employment and income
1. Direct Impacts: Sports-related travel
creates direct economic value within a
discreet group of sectors (e.g.
entertainment, transportation). This
supports a relative proportion of jobs,
wages, taxes, and GDP within each sector.
2. Indirect Impacts: Each directly affected
sector also purchases goods and services
as inputs (e.g. food wholesalers, utilities)
into production. These impacts are called
indirect impacts.
3. Induced Impacts: Lastly, the induced
impact is generated when employees
whose wages are generated either
directly or indirectly by sports tourism,
spend those wages in the local economy.
ECONOMIC IMPACTS
12
DIRECT TOURISM
INDUSTRY
Introduction and definitions
Tracking the impact of sports-related travel
spending on the broader economy
IMPLAN calculates these three levels of impact –
direct, indirect, and induced – for a broad set of
indicators. These include the following:
• Spending
• Wages
• Employment
• Federal Taxes
• State Taxes
• Local Taxes
Production
Jobs
Wages
Taxes
Accommodation
Food & beverage
Retail
Entertainment
Local transportation
B2B goods &
services purchases
Income
effect
DIRECT SPENDING
INDIRECT IMPACTS
INDUCED IMPACTS
TOTAL IMPACTS
Supply chain
effects
Household
consumption
Sales
GDP
Jobs
Wages
Taxes
13
The estimated direct impact of $45.1 billion produced $103.3
billion in business sales including indirect and induced impacts.
While most sales are in industries directly serving travelers (as
presented on the following page), $13.8 billion in business sales
accrued to the finance, insurance, and real estate (“FIRE”)
industry as a result of selling to tourism businesses.
For example, tourism businesses such as hotels, restaurants,
and attractions purchased goods and services (i.e. financial
services, insurance) from businesses in the FIRE industry
(“indirect sales”). Further, the FIRE employees whose wages
were generated indirectly by sports tourism, spent those
wages in the local economy (“induced sales”).
Similarly, significant benefits accrued to sectors such as
manufacturing ($10.3 billion) and business services ($10.0
billion).
Business sales impacts by industry
ECONOMIC IMPACTS
Source: Tourism Economics
Summary economic impacts ($ billions) – 2019
14
$0 $4,000 $8,000 $12,000 $16,000
Finance, Insurance and Real Estate
Food & Beverage
Manufacturing
Business Services
Lodging
Air Transport
Recreation and Entertainment
Retail Trade
Other Transport
Education and Health Care
Communications
Construction and Utilities
Wholesale Trade
Gasoline Stations
Agriculture, Fishing, Mining
Personal Services
Government
Direct Indirect Induced
Direct Indirect Induced Total
Total, all industries $45,114 $25,393 $32,822 $103,329
By industry
Finance, Insurance and Real Estate $412 $5,008 $8,387 $13,807
Food & Beverage $8,764 $433 $1,673 $10,871
Manufacturing $0 $5,230 $5,107 $10,337
Business Services $2,052 $4,943 $2,975 $9,970
Lodging $9,244 $94 $268 $9,606
Air Transport $8,486 $131 $220 $8,838
Recreation and Entertainment $7,423 $603 $522 $8,548
Retail Trade $5,124 $222 $1,881 $7,227
Other Transport $1,298 $2,011 $876 $4,184
Education and Health Care $0 $34 $4,007 $4,041
Communications $0 $1,796 $1,818 $3,614
Construction and Utilities $0 $1,502 $1,146 $2,648
Wholesale Trade $0 $1,050 $1,420 $2,470
Gasoline Stations $2,312 $17 $100 $2,429
Agriculture, Fishing, Mining $0 $1,186 $705 $1,891
Personal Services $0 $438 $1,146 $1,584
Government $0 $692 $572 $1,264
Business sales impacts by industry
ECONOMIC IMPACTS
Business sales impacts by industry ($ millions) – 2019 Business sales impacts by industry ($ millions) – 2019
Source: Tourism Economics Source: Tourism Economics
15
Sports-related travel spending generated $13.9 billion in direct
labor income, which generated a total of $32.2 billion in labor
income including indirect and induced impacts.
Labor income impacts by industry
ECONOMIC IMPACTS
Source: Tourism Economics
Summary labor impacts ($ billions) – 2019
16
$0 $2,000 $4,000 $6,000
Business Services
Food & Beverage
Lodging
Recreation and Entertainment
Finance, Insurance and Real Estate
Education and Health Care
Air Transport
Other Transport
Retail Trade
Manufacturing
Personal Services
Communications
Wholesale Trade
Agriculture, Fishing, Mining
Government
Construction and Utilities
Gasoline Stations
Direct Indirect Induced
Direct Indirect Induced Total
Total, all industries $13,871 $8,020 $10,332 $32,223
By industry
Business Services $1,393 $2,588 $1,574 $5,555
Food & Beverage $3,217 $231 $661 $4,109
Lodging $3,042 $30 $88 $3,160
Recreation and Entertainment $2,668 $267 $183 $3,117
Finance, Insurance and Real Estate $97 $1,084 $1,353 $2,533
Education and Health Care $0 $21 $2,325 $2,346
Air Transport $2,169 $34 $56 $2,259
Other Transport $482 $831 $343 $1,656
Retail Trade $664 $94 $723 $1,481
Manufacturing $0 $680 $714 $1,394
Personal Services $0 $222 $709 $930
Communications $0 $512 $388 $900
Wholesale Trade $0 $365 $494 $858
Agriculture, Fishing, Mining $0 $422 $224 $647
Government $0 $331 $208 $539
Construction and Utilities $0 $300 $237 $537
Gasoline Stations $140 $9 $52 $201
Labor income impacts by industry
ECONOMIC IMPACTS
Labor income impacts by industry ($ millions) – 2019 Labor income impacts by industry ($ millions) – 2019
Source: Tourism Economics Source: Tourism Economics
17
Sports-related travel spending sustained 739,386 full-time
equivalent jobs* on an annualized basis when indirect and
induced impacts are considered.
Job impacts by industry
ECONOMIC IMPACTS
Source: Tourism Economics
Summary job impacts – 2019
*The full-time equivalent concept converts part-time and temporary jobs to a full-
time equivalent annual basis, based on output and wages.
18
0 50,000 100,000 150,000 200,000
Food & Beverage
Recreation and Entertainment
Business Services
Lodging
Retail Trade
Finance, Insurance and Real Estate
Education and Health Care
Other Transport
Personal Services
Air Transport
Manufacturing
Agriculture, Fishing, Mining
Wholesale Trade
Communications
Construction and Utilities
Government
Gasoline Stations
Direct Indirect Induced
Direct Indirect Induced Total
Total, all industries 410,762 129,649 198,975 739,386
By industry
Food & Beverage 130,169 8,315 25,581 164,066
Recreation and Entertainment 105,861 8,699 6,016 120,575
Business Services 34,130 39,228 25,151 98,510
Lodging 81,674 805 2,377 84,856
Retail Trade 23,168 2,701 20,741 46,609
Finance, Insurance and Real Estate 1,541 20,369 23,246 45,156
Education and Health Care 801 40,918 41,719
Other Transport 10,729 13,200 6,176 30,105
Personal Services 4,277 18,372 22,648
Air Transport 19,822 307 515 20,644
Manufacturing 9,215 9,484 18,699
Agriculture, Fishing, Mining 6,071 4,638 10,709
Wholesale Trade 4,262 5,765 10,027
Communications 3,819 3,367 7,185
Construction and Utilities 3,649 2,919 6,567
Government 3,698 2,341 6,039
Gasoline Stations 3,668 234 1,368 5,271
Job impacts by industry
ECONOMIC IMPACTS
Job impacts by industry – 2019 Job impacts by industry – 2019
Source: Tourism Economics Source: Tourism Economics
19
Direct
Indirect /
Induced
Total
Total Tax Revenues $7,371 $7,196 $14,568
Federal $3,361 $4,429 $7,790
Personal Income $1,124 $1,494 $2,618
Corporate $366 $737 $1,103
Indirect Business $352 $263 $615
Social Insurance $1,519 $1,935 $3,454
State and Local $4,010 $2,767 $6,778
Sales $1,383 $1,033 $2,416
Bed Tax $703 $0 $703
Personal Income $280 $372 $651
Corporate $57 $115 $172
Social Insurance $25 $32 $57
Excise and Fees $320 $289 $610
Property $1,242 $927 $2,169
Sports-related travel spending generated $14.6 billion
in total tax revenues. State and local tax revenues alone
accounted for $6.8 billion.
Fiscal (tax) total impact
ECONOMIC IMPACTS
Source: Tourism Economics
Tax impacts ($ millions) – 2019
20
The $14.6 billion in federal,
state, and local taxes generated
by sports tourism would cover
the average salaries of nearly
228,000 public school teachers.
ECONOMIC IMPACTS IN CONTEXT
Spending, jobs, and income impacts in context
$45.1
BILLION
The $45.1 billion in sports-
related travel spending
means that nearly $124
million was spent EVERY
DAY by sports travelers,
event organizers, and
venues.
The $32.2 billion in total
income generated by sports
tourism is the equivalent of
$269 for every household in
the U.S.
If the number of total jobs
sustained by sports tourism
was the population of a U.S.
city, it would rank as the
19
th
largest city in the U.S.,
behind Seattle, Washington.
$32.2
BILLION
739,386
JOBS
$14.6
BILLION
SPORTS –RELATED TRAVEL SPENDING PERSONAL INCOME TAXESEMPLOYMENT
21
Employment
Motor vehicles, bodies and trailers, and parts manufacturing (3361/2/3) 999
Offices of certified public accountants (541211) 490
Furniture and home furnishings stores (442) 473
Barber shops and beauty salons (812111/2) 453
Motion picture and sound recording industries (512) 444
Sports tourism 411
Wood product manufacturing (321) 409
Highway, street, and bridge construction (2379) 351
Pharmaceuticals and medicines (3254) 306
Credit unions and other depository credit intermediation (52213/9) 290
Oil and gas extraction (211) 150
The sports tourism sector supports more direct jobs
than many large sectors including wood product
manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and oil and gas
extraction.
Industry comparisons
ECONOMIC IMPACTS
Note: Numbers indicate three- to five-digit North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code
corresponding to such industry sector.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Direct employment (thousands) – 2019
COVID-19 IMPACTS
23
Sports tourism represents a substantial value to the U.S. economy.
However, this economic value has been severely limited by the
coronavirus pandemic that has especially damaged the sports
events and tourism industry.
Estimates of COVID-19 Impact on U.S. Economy
COVID-19 quickly impacted the U.S. economy during the first
quarter of 2020 and will continue to have profound impacts
throughout the remainder of the year. The U.S. entered the early
stages of a deep recession with steep employment and income
losses.
Nearly all industries are impacted by COVID-19, but to varying
degrees. Given that sports are considered non-essential services
and typically involve many participants and spectators which
increases the risk of transmission, it is expected that the sports
tourism industry will be significantly impacted for much of 2020.
COVID-19 IMPACTS
24
Estimates of COVID-19 Impact on Sports Tourism
Given the event cancellations / postponements, travel restrictions,
and ensuing job losses and budget cuts resulting from COVID-19,
the sports tourism industry has been hard hit.
In March 2020, approximately 9.9 million fewer people traveled to
participate in or watch a sports event compared to March 2019,
which translates into a loss of approximately $2.5 billion in direct
spending.
April fared worse as all sports events were cancelled or postponed
resulting in a loss of 14.9 million travelers and $3.8 billion in direct
spending. Similar losses occurred in May, but then losses are
expected to shrink as the year progresses.
Over the ten-month period from March to December 2020, we
expect that over 75 million fewer people will travel to sports
events compared to 2019, resulting in a loss of $20.0 billion in
direct spending in 2020.
As the economy begins to recover, it will likely take longer for the
sports tourism industry to reach 2019 levels than it will for the
overall U.S. economy.
COVID-19 IMPACTS
Monthly sports tourism spending loss ($ billions)
Monthly sports traveler volume loss (millions)
Source: Tourism Economics
DESTINATION PROFILES
26
In February 2020, Sports ETA electronically distributed the
State of the Industry survey to its membership. The survey
remained in the field for approximately five weeks and
garnered responses from 149 destinations.
The objective of the survey was to develop an understanding
of the key characteristics for Sports ETA destination
members, including convention & visitors bureaus (CVBs),
destination marketing organizations (DMOs), sports
commissions, and chambers of commerce.
Data throughout the remainder of the report present the
results of the destination survey.
OVERVIEW
Participation by Destination Type (2019)
54%
26%
15%
1%
5%
CVB / DMO
Sports Commission as a Department within a CVB / DMO
Stand-Alone Sports Commission
Chamber of Commerce
Other
149
Destination
Participants
27
Approximately 55% of all destination organizations operated
with a budget of $500,000 or less. Approximately 7% of
destinations operated with a budget exceeding $5 million.
More than 40% of destinations experienced a budget increase
in 2019 with an average increase of 13% year-over-year.
Only 6% of destinations experienced a decline in their budget
in 2019 with an average decrease of 9%. However, moving
forward destination budgets will be re-evaluated due to the
impacts of COVID-19.
BUDGET
Destination Budget (2019)
23%
32%
14%
14%
11%
3%
4%
$100,000 or less
$100,001 – $500,000
$500,001 – $1,000,000
$1,000,001 – $2,000,000
$2,000,001 – $5,000,000
$5,000,001 – $10,000,000
$10,000,001+
41%
6%
53%
Increased Decreased Remained the Same
Destination Budget Change (2018 to 2019)
28
Hotel taxes fund the majority of destination organizations.
Destinations with a budget of $1 million or less had a larger
percentage of their budget (76%) funded by hotel taxes,
compared to those destinations with a budget over $1 million
(64%).
Destinations with a budget over $1 million had a larger
percentage of their budget funded by the general fund (8%),
grants (5%), and other sources (14%). Other funding sources
included event revenue, sponsorships, partnership co-ops,
and private funding.
ORGANIZATION
FUNDING
Organization Funding (2019)
76%
6%
5%
6%
1%
7%
64%
8%
4%
6%
5%
14%
Hotel Tax General
Fund
BID / TID Membership Grants Other
$1M budget or less Greater than $1M budget
29
1.6
3.0
3.7
7.8
10.3
21.8
5.0
7.5
4.0
7.2
$100K or
less
$100K –
$500K
$500K –
$1M
$1M – $2M $2M – $5M $5M+
Full-Time Staff Part-Time Staff Seasonal Staff
Annual Interns Seasonal Interns
The number of staff employed by a destination directly relates
to the overall budget. The number of full-time staff at
destinations ranged from 1.6 at destinations with a budget
less than $100,000 to 21.8 at destinations with a budget over
$5 million.
When part-time staff and interns are considered, the total
number of employees ranged from 4.8 to 45.4 depending on
budget.
The average destination, regardless of budget, employed 5.3
full-time staff and 13.6 total staff when including part-time
staff and interns.
STAFFING
4.8
8.4
7.0
19.8
21.1
45.4
Destination organization staffing (2019)
30
Nearly all destinations hosted youth events (97%) – either
competitive or recreational – in 2019. Less than half of the
destinations hosted senior or United States Olympic &
Paralympic Committee (USOPC) events.
On average, 38% of all destinations surveyed owned an event
in 2019 – 58% of destinations with budgets over $1 million
and 28% of destinations with budgets less than $1 million.
Destinations with budgets over $1 million owned an average
of 4.1 events compared to 2.8 events for destinations with
budgets less than $1 million.
Of those destinations that owned an event, approximately
65% owned a team event and 57% owned an individual event.
EVENTS
Event Types (2019)
Owned Events (2019)
97%
94%
82%
46%
43%
11%
Youth Adult /
Amateur
Collegiate Senior USOPC Other
28%
58%
$1M budget or less Greater than $1M budget
31
55%
8%
37%
64%
12%
30%
Increased Decreased Remained the Same
Events Participants
Destinations hosted an average of 70 events in 2019 ranging
from 49 at destinations with a budget less than $100,000 to
88 at destinations with a budget of $1 million to $2 million.
The average number of participants per event correlated to
the destination budget – ranging from 404 participants per
event at destinations with the smallest budget to 1,259
participants per event at destinations with the largest budget.
More than half of the destinations experienced a growth in
the number of events (55%) and participants (64%) year-over-
year.
Only 8% of destinations hosted fewer events and 12% of
destinations hosted fewer participants in 2019 compared to
2018.
EVENTS
Events & Participants (2019)
0
200
400
600
800
1,000
1,200
1,400
0
20
40
60
80
100
$100K or
less
$100K –
$500K
$500K –
$1M
$1M –
$2M
$2M+
Participants per event
Events
Avg. Events Avg. Participants Per Event
Events & Participants Change (2018 to 2019)
32
$69,357
$150,588
$148,708
$259,922
$100K or less $100K – $500K $500K – $1M $1M+
50%
72%
82%
84%
$100K or less $100K – $500K $500K – $1M $1M+
Approximately 73% of destinations paid bid fees in 2019. Half
of the destinations with a budget less than $100,000 paid bid
fees compared to 84% of destinations with a budget over $1
million.
The average bid fee funding pool, regardless of budget, was
approximately $176,000, ranging from over $69,000 at
smaller budget destinations to nearly $260,000 at larger
budget destinations.
The bid fee pool increased for 30% of destinations in 2019 and
remained the same for 70% of destinations. No destinations
decreased its bid fee pool between 2018 and 2019.
The internal budget was the most common source of funding
for the bid pool – 87% of destinations funded a portion of the
bid pool using internal funds, 36% used city or state funds, and
21% used other funding, such as sponsorships or private
donations.
BID FEES
Paid Bid Fees (2019)
Bid Fee Funding Pool (2019)
33
$42,350
$112,153
$218,333
$247,731
$100K or less $100K – $500K $500K – $1M $1M+
Over 60% of destinations, regardless of budget, offered local
event grants in 2019. Nearly 80% of destinations with a
budget less than $100,000 offered grants, compared to less
than 60% for destinations with budgets greater than
$100,000.
The average bid fee funding pool, regardless of budget, was
approximately $145,000, ranging from approximately
$42,000 at smaller budget destinations to nearly $250,000 at
larger budget destinations.
The internal budget was the most common source of funding
for the local grants – 76% of destinations funded a portion of
the local grants pool using internal funds, 33% used city or
state funds, and 12% used other funding, such as sponsorships
or private donations.
LOCAL GRANTS
Offered Local Grants (2019)
Local Grants Funding Pool (2019)
78%
54%
45%
59%
$100K or less $100K – $500K $500K – $1M $1M+
34
Participating at event owner marketplaces, such as
conferences and trade shows, was the most important part of
a destinations marketing strategy – it ranked 4.3 on a 5-point
scale with a range of 4.2 to 4.7 depending on destination
budget.
An organization’s website, exhibiting at conferences and trade
shows, and social media were other important marketing
methods.
MARKETING
STRATEGY
Importance to Marketing Strategy: Average and Range (2019)
0
1
2
3
4
5
Rank
Note: The survey question asked “how important is each element in your marketing strategy”? The red
diamond represents the average rank of importance for all destinations, regardless of budget. The blue
circles present the low and high ranks based on the following destination budget segmentations: $100K or
less, $100K - $500K, $500K - $1M, $1M-$2M, and $2M+.
35
6%
29%
27%
56%
$100K or less $100K – $500K $500K – $1M $1M+
Approximately 33% of all destinations received sponsorships
in 2019, ranging from 6% of destinations with a budget less
than $100,000 to 56% of destinations with a budget over $1
million.
Sponsorship revenue increased at 45% of destinations
between 2018 and 2019, with an average increase of 17%.
Only 10% of destinations decreased sponsorship revenue
year-over-year while the remaining 45% of destinations
maintained the same level of sponsorship revenue.
Nearly 90% of destinations indicated that community
awareness was the key factor for sponsoring their
organization.
SPONSORSHIP
Sponsored Destinations (2019)
87%
61%
58%
35%
13%
Community
Awareness
Youth Philanthropic Product Sales Other
Key Factors for Sponsorship (2019)
36
3%
13%
13%
16%
45%
52%
65%
84%
13%
20%
25%
13%
48%
55%
64%
81%
Destination Demographics
Destination Location
Destination Offerings
Destination Cost
Venue Cost
Bid Fees / Incentives Too High
Lack of Available Dates
Venue Building Program Constraints
$1,000,000 or less $1,000,000+
Venue building program constraints, such as not enough
playing surfaces, were the most prominent reason for lost
business in 2019, followed by lack of available dates, high bid
fees / incentives, and venue cost.
Destination specific factors – such as offerings, location, and
demographics, but excluding cost – accounted for a larger
portion of lost business at destinations with budgets less than
$1 million.
LOST BUSINESS
Lost Business (2019)
37
54%
29% 29%
15%
10%
Room Nights Economic
Impact
Events Lodging Tax
Revenue
Lodging
Occupancy
FACTORS FOR
SUCCESS
Top 5 Factors for Success – $1M+ Budget (2019)
Destinations utilize many key performance indicators to
monitor success. The top two factors in 2019, regardless of
budget, were room nights and economic impact, used by 49%
and 32% of destinations, respectively.
For destinations with budgets over $1 million, 38% indicated
they used economic impact and room nights as measurements
of success. Other key success factors included earned media,
number of events, and repeat business.
Over half (54%) of destinations with budgets less than $1
million stated that room nights were the biggest factor for
success. Other key factors included economic impact, number
of events, lodging tax revenue, and lodging occupancy.
Top 5 Factors for Success – Less than $1M Budget (2019)
38% 38%
17%
13%
13%
Economic
Impact
Room Nights Earned Media Events Repeat
Business
38
25%
69%
64%
63%
79%
$100K or less $100K –
$500K
$500K – $1M $1M – $2M $2M+
The following are other insights derived from the State of the
Industry survey:
• The Event Impact Calculator offered by Sports ETA in
partnership with Destinations International and Tourism
Economics was the most utilized tool for estimating visitor
spend in 2019 – used by 57% of destinations.
• Approximately 60% of destinations, regardless of budget,
required “stay to play” in 2019.
• Only 27% of destinations calculated or collected
information on earned media estimates in 2019.
• Nearly half of destinations (44%) participated in
community-based health and wellness activities in 2019.
OTHER INSIGHTS
Visitor Spending Estimate Source (2019)
57%
34%
12%
16%
Event Impact
Calculator
Internal Calculator Independent Study Other
Required “Stay to Play” (2019)
Note: “Stay to Play” means that destinations require teams to stay within the established
room block in order to participate in the tournament
39
About Sports ETA
As the only trade association for the sport tourism industry, Sports ETA is the most trusted resource for sports commissions, destination
marketing organizations (DMOs), and sports event owners. Sports ETA is committed to the success of more than 850 member organizations
and 2,400 sports event professionals. Our promise is to deliver quality education, ample networking opportunities and exceptional event
management and marketing know-how to our members - sports destinations, sports event owners, and suppliers to the industry - and to
protect the integrity of the sports events and industry. For more information, visit sportseta.org.
About Northstar Travel Group
Northstar Travel Group is the leading B-to-B information and marketing solutions company serving all segments of the travel industry
including leisure/retail, corporate/business travel, corporate and sports meetings, incentives, hospitality, and travel technology. Northstar is
the owner of well-known brands including SportsTravel, Successful Meetings, Meetings & Conventions, Incentive, M&C China, Business Travel
News, Travel Procurement, The Beat, Travel Weekly US, TravelAge West, Travel Weekly China, Travel42, Axus Travel App, and Web in Travel.
The company produces more than 80 face-to-face and digital events in 13 countries in retail travel, hospitality, corporate travel, travel
technology, sports travel, and the meetings & incentive industry. Leadership events include The Business Travel Show, the largest corporate
travel event in Europe; The Meetings Show, the largest meetings industry event in the UK; Web in Travel; CruiseWorld; Global Travel
Marketplace; the EsportsTravel Summit; and the TEAMS Conference & Expo, the world’s largest gathering of sports-event organizers. In
addition, Northstar owns Phocuswright, the leading research, business intelligence, and event producer serving the travel technology industry.
Northstar Travel Group owns the Burba Hotel Network, the leading producer of hotel investment events globally, including ALIS, the largest
hotel investment conference in the world produced with the American Hotel & Lodging Association in Los Angeles each year. Northstar is also
the majority shareholder in Inntopia, the leading SaaS e-commerce software, CRM database marketing and predictive analytics business
serving the mountain destination, golf, activities, hospitality, and specialty destination travel markets.
Based in Secaucus, NJ, the company has offices in New York, NY; Stowe, VT; Denver, CO; Edwards, CO; Burlington, VT; Los Angeles, CA; Costa
Mesa, CA; Lombard, IL; and global offices in London, Singapore, Beijing, and Shanghai. Northstar Travel Group is owned by funds managed by
EagleTree Capital.
ABOUT SPORTS ETA & NORTHSTAR TRAVEL GROUP
40
Tourism Economics is an Oxford Economics company with a singular objective: combine an understanding of the travel sector
with proven economic tools to answer the most important questions facing our clients. More than 500 companies, associations,
and destination work with Tourism Economics every year as a research partner. We bring decades of experience to every
engagement to help our clients make better marketing, investment, and policy decisions. Our team of highly-specialized
economists deliver:
• Global travel data-sets with the broadest set of country, city, and state coverage available
• Travel forecasts that are directly linked to the economic and demographic outlook for origins and destinations
• Economic impact analysis that highlights the value of visitors, events, developments, and industry segments
• Policy analysis that informs critical funding, taxation, and travel facilitation decisions
• Market assessments that define market allocation and investment decisions
Tourism Economics operates out of regional headquarters in Philadelphia and Oxford, with offices in Belfast, Buenos Aires,
Dubai, Frankfurt, and Ontario.
Oxford Economics is one of the world’s foremost independent global advisory firms, providing reports, forecasts and analytical
tools on 200 countries, 100 industrial sectors and over 3,000 cities. Our best-of-class global economic and industry models and
analytical tools give us an unparalleled ability to forecast external market trends and assess their economic, social and business
impact. Headquartered in Oxford, England, with regional centers in London, New York, and Singapore, Oxford Economics has
offices across the globe in Belfast, Chicago, Dubai, Miami, Milan, Paris, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Washington DC, we
employ over 250 full-time staff, including 150 professional economists, industry experts and business editors—one of the
largest teams of macroeconomists and thought leadership specialists.
ABOUT TOURISM ECONOMICS
For more information:
