In 2023, the sports travel sector is expected to experience a total direct spending of $52.2 billion, with Americans taking a record 204.9 million trips related to sporting events. The State of the Industry Report shared by the Sports Events and Tourism Association (Sports ETA) at their conference in Portland defines a sports traveler as someone who attends an adult or youth amateur or collegiate sports tournament, race or other event.
According to the analysis, based on data from various sources, 63% of respondents believe that youth and amateur sports events are the best generator of night hours in the room. With 73.5 million overnight stays generated in 2023, an increase of 6.5% over 2019, the accommodation sector accounted for 21% of all sports-related travel spending. This is significant as accommodation fees are the main source of funding for most destination marketing organisations.
ETA Sports President and CEO John David highlighted the importance of sports tourism in the tourism industry, stating that sport has played a key role in sustaining the industry over the past few years. He highlighted the long-term impacts of sports tourism on communities and expressed optimism about the future of the sector.
The construction industry has also been significantly impacted by sports tourism, with over $1.5 billion spent on youth and amateur sports facilities from 2020 to 2023 alone. An additional $1.6 billion is expected to be invested by