By Patrick Lynn
In a Thursday evening settlement, the Plover Space Conference and Guests Bureau (PACVB) and Portage Co. Parks Division cast a partnership geared toward boosting sports activities tourism initiatives within the area.
Sports activities tourism entails touring to a vacation spot both to take part in or spectate sporting occasions. PACVB Govt Director Malorie Paine urged the Parks Fee to greenlight a proposal for selling Standing Rocks County Park, amongst others, as potential venues for actions akin to disc golf tournaments and cross-country meets.
Whereas sporting occasions already happen within the parks, the settlement grants PACVB the authority to actively have interaction in exterior advertising and marketing endeavors. PACVB employees can’t unilaterally ebook occasions, and last selections relating to bid submissions will relaxation with the Parks Division.
Paine advised Commissioners that the PACVB had obtained practically 100 proposals for sporting occasions from numerous planners up to now six months. Highlighting the monetary significance, she stated, “Sports activities tourism generates practically $40 billion in direct customer spending yearly throughout the U.S., contributing considerably to the native financial system, benefiting residents, companies, and authorities companies.”
Tourism alone generated a $245 million impression for Portage County in 2022. Paine emphasised the direct advantages to residents from the generated income by way of in a single day stays. She expressed the partnership as an avenue to enhance the native financial system through current tourism alternatives.
The purpose is to not inundate residents with fixed occasions or pressure native park capacities, Paine added. As an alternative, the PACVB plans to “channel extra tourism income beneficially for all stakeholders.”
The PACVB’s mission revolves round selling high quality of life, financial progress, and neighborhood preservation by way of tourism advertising and marketing and vacation spot growth.
Paine projected that even a marginal enhance in sports activities tourism might facilitate improved trails, enhanced or new boat launches, and extra sights, funded by generated room taxes. She urged for seizing the advantages of sports activities tourism and emphasised that looking for occasion bids doesn’t assure successful them, however it opens doorways to alternatives.
The Fee unanimously agreed.
