Spike in sports tourism brings more people and money to area

Myrtle Beach, S.C. (WPDE) — After a strategic planning workshop Tuesday, city leaders are on a mission to ensure and improve our area's long-term future.

That means bringing in more visitors, and bringing in more money to help pay for all that growth.

During the summer, Myrtle Beach is packed. But, once the sun sets on the sunbathing season, city leaders say there's another way to bring people to town--sports.

"It's growing, it really is," said Myrtle Beach Mayor John Rhodes. "I mean we're very excited about it. Here at the sports facility that we built, it's busy all the time."

Volleyball, basketball, baseball, archery and other sports tournaments bring people from around the country and around the world. The hope is that they'll keep coming back.

"That's really why we do sports tourism," said John Petersen, Myrtle Beach City Manager. "It's really not to get that one person there for that event. It's to do that one event so that they come back and enjoy the community at other points and times during the year."

Rhodes said in the past several years the economic impact of our sports tourism industry has spiked from $20 million to $168.5 million dollars this past year.

"That's put a lot of heads in beds, a lot of fannies in restaurant seats, and a lot of dollars coming into our community," said Rhodes. "So, sports tourism has grown, and of course, me, that's my passion. I'm really excited about that."

Petersen said their focus now is to price assets appropriately to cover operating expenses.