When the Elizabethtown Sports Park opened in July 2012, the plan for a 150-acre youth oriented sports attraction became a reality. During its first season, the park generated over $11 M in direct visitor spending. Last week, tourism officials released its results for year 5 of operation, which revealed impressive numbers, along with notable enhanced real estate developments.
During a recent Elizabethtown City Council meeting, Dr. Patrick Rishe of Sportsimpacts shared the researcher’s findings. By surveying traveling families and utilizing the city of origin and length of events, the spending report revealed $17.4 M - $21.2 M of direct spending, which includes dollars spent at local restaurants, lodging, transportation, and entertainment. This increase over 5 years shows significant growth in tourism activity.
Also in this short amount of time, three new hotel properties are under construction and one recently opened in January 2018. Combined with new sporting goods retail, team-friendly restaurants, and a booming downtown revitalization, sports tourism has been good for Elizabethtown. On the horizon is a new multiplex movie theatre, a trampoline park, and more team-friendly cafes and dining options.
“We are please to officially see the numbers that represent our growth for tourism,” reports Elizabethtown Tourism Sports and Sales Director Janna Clark, CSEE. “We have established ourselves as a sports destination and built our reputation as a quality park with attractive amenities. We look forward to continuing to bring youth sports teams to our area and welcoming families to Elizabethtown.”
The Elizabethtown Sports Park features 25 fields of various sizes and tournament options for hosting numerous types of events. For more information on bringing your event to the park, contact Janna at 270-307-1355 or sports@etown.com
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