A Note from Sports Destination Management to Our Friends in the Industry

To all of our friends in the sports tourism industry, 

We know this has been a very rough couple of days in terms of the reaction to COVID-19 and the suspension or cancellation of events. We certainly understand the impact these cancellations have on our industry. In many ways we’re all embarking into uncharted territory; in other ways, however, we’re not. Let me explain.

From a macro level, we as a company have worked with communities impacted by fires, floods, riots and hurricanes. The immediate disruption is strong and swift. But what we’ve also witnessed is the resiliency of these communities to band together, work on rebuilding, and to begin hosting events in relatively short order. Sports tourism is a strong industry, and once the dust settles – and it will settle – this country will be ready to host again and, in fact, will find itself more in need of sports than ever before. We just need to believe in one another, and in our industry, and to look toward the larger future, rather toward the next month, or even the next few months. We need to operate with confidence, rather than with fear, and we need to move forward with the optimism that this will pass. 

If there is a silver lining, maybe the country as a whole will realize the role sports and sports tourism plays in our daily lives. Much like after 9-11, perhaps there will be an even greater emphasis on sports as a place where we all compete, grow and socialize, regardless of our political leanings or any other differences.

Show support for the industry in social media posts by using the hashtags, #PostponeDontCancel#DontCancelPostpone and #TourismStrong

We will all get through this together!

-Scott Swoger, Publisher