Sports a Big Draw for Travelers and Host Cities

More than 75 million U.S. travelers attended sporting events as part of trips taken in the last five years, a market niche that has cities--including Los Angeles--working feverishly to land more high-profile games and competitions.

In good news for businesses that rely on sports fans for revenue, sports-related travelers spent $27 billion during the five-year period, said Mike Pina, a spokesman for the Travel Industry Assn. of America.

With interest in sporting events high, cities are increasingly using games and other competitive activities as calling cards for tourists. Within the last three years, at least 30 cities have hired marketing teams to concentrate largely on selling their municipalities as destinations for sporting events, said Lisa Delpy, a professor of sport management and tourism studies at George Washington University in Washington. She estimated that more than 200 cities now have so-called sports commissions.

“[Cities] are becoming more attuned to it because it’s kind of a fun, sexy marketing tool,” Delpy said.

Los Angeles has had one for four years, and its most recent accomplishment was helping to bring two games for the Women’s World Cup soccer championships to the Rose Bowl. Estimates on revenue generated by the event were not available.

Kathy Schloessman, president of the Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment Commission, said special, high-profile sporting events can mean windfalls for the cities that land them. Super Bowls, for example, can generate up to $300 million, and major league baseball’s All-Star game can deliver more than $60 million.

“The reason for our existence is to attract these kinds of events,” Schloessman said of her organization, which is an arm of the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Southern California is fortunate, she said, to have a recurring marquee sporting event in the annual Rose Bowl college football showdown. The game produces up to $125 million in revenue and is responsible for the lion’s share of hotel reservations in the area during the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day.

According to a Travel Industry Assn. study released Wednesday, more than 75% of 240,000 travelers who responded to a mail and phone survey said professional and amateur sporting events were the primary reason for their trips within the U.S. in the last five years. The association defines travel as any trip from home of at least 50 miles one-way.

Baseball was cited as the top attraction for sports-events travelers, followed by football, the group said. Basketball and auto/truck racing placed third and fourth, respectively.