Each of our issues celebrates a change of seasons. This one hits mailboxes just as spring is edging into the beautiful golden time of summer, when baseball, softball, fishing and beach volleyball, as well as plenty of other sports (including surfing, featured on our cover), move front and center in our collective consciousness. This issue also arrives as the 2024 Olympics are on final approach to Paris. That makes this summer an all-around great time to be an athlete, a hosting community, an event owner or even a fan. Let’s dive in.
Sports tourism has been on an accelerated boom over the past ten years, with large indoor and outdoor youth sports complexes driving much of the growth. Investing in youth and amateur sports complexes can be an economic engine for sports tourism. However, simply building the facility is not enough if the spending goes to neighboring communities. more....