Convention & Visitors Bureau gets $100,000 from county for sports tourism marketing

New Castle County presented $100,000 in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds to the Greater Wilmington Convention and Visitors Bureau for promoting the region as a sports tourism destination.

The funds, presented during National Travel and Tourism Week at the bureau’s board meeting, will be used to create a video as part of a marketing campaign.

Jessica Welch, director of the Delaware Tourism Office, stated, “In recent years, Delaware has seen exponential growth in sports tourism, with thousands of people traveling to the state for tournaments and other events throughout the year. We are proud to partner with the bureau on this campaign and look forward to continuing our efforts to promote New Castle County’s many facilities as sports tourism destinations.”

William Sullivan, chairman of the board of directors, stated, “We are thrilled with the county’s strong investment in the growth of sports tourism. This grant, combined with the State’s $12 million Sports Tourism Capital Investment Fund, will enable us to increase our competitive edge, attracting higher profile events and drawing athletes and their families from across the nation.”

Sports tourism is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the tourism industry and a significant revenue generator in Northern Delaware. According to the Sports Events and Tourism Association’, sports tourism in the U.S. had a total economic impact of $128 billion in 2023.

“We’re excited to make this investment to help promote sports tourism in our county,” said New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer. “My administration has made significant investments in our parks and fields in our community, and we’re poised to be part of the team ready to host large-scale sports tourism events. Look no further to the BMW Championship and how our County and community showed we can handle a large-scale, multi-day event on a national stage.”

In addition to the $30K in grant funds earmarked for marketing the video, the Bureau and the Delaware Tourism Office will also contribute funds from their own budgets for the marketing campaign.

Sports tourism ranges from youth sports to professional leagues and includes a variety of sports: baseball, basketball, cheer, dance, gymnastics, hockey, lacrosse, pickleball, soccer, softball, volleyball, track and field and more. Sports tourists bring additional business to retailers, hotels and restaurants.

Facilities in northern Delaware that attract sports tourists include the Chase Center on the Riverfront, the Chase Fieldhouse, Frawley Stadium, DelCastle Recreational Park, Goldey Beacom Athletics, Kirkwood Sports, Midway Softball, the Patriot Ice Center, the STATS Sports Complex, and the University of Delaware Athletic Complex.