Sports tourism in Virginia is a big business, and it grew 12 percent from 2021 to 2022 generating $2.7 billion in direct spending last year. The Shenandoah Valley saw a 25 percent increase in sports tourism.
The growth was driven by 12.1 million sports travelers who participated in tournaments or attended other sports related events in Virginia as spectators.
Sports tourism in 2022 accounted for nearly 8 percent of Virginia’s overall visitor economy, directly contributing $2.4 billion in visitor spending.
Sports-related travelers in 2022 spent $7.3 million every day in Virginia, reflecting a substantial $1 million increase compared to 2019.
Sports tourism also employed 28,138 Virginians in 2022 and drove $344 million in state and local tax revenues.
Among the industries impacted by travel, the largest contribution from sports tourism was towards Virginia’s food and beverage sector, totaling $713.8 million, which equates to 27 percent of the overall spending share.
“We are thrilled to see how sports tourism helped power Virginia’s tourism recovery,” said Dan Roberts, vice president of research and strategy for Virginia Tourism Corporation. “These numbers show the significant impact sports tourism has on the economic growth of communities across the Commonwealth by creating job opportunities, driving development in new infrastructure and venues, increasing tax revenue, and boosting local businesses in the area.”
On a regional basis, the highest concentration of total sports spending is the Central and Southern Virginia region, which incorporates Richmond and Lynchburg. This region represents 32 percent of total sports spending – higher than other regions in the state. In 2022, the Central and Southern Virginia regions generated $849 million in sports spending, an increase of 10 percent from 2021.
The Northern Virginia region, which includes the Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William areas, ranks as the second-highest region for sports spending, generating $758 million in sports spending in 2022, an increase of 13.7 percent from 2021.
The Coastal Virginia Region, including Virginia Beach and Williamsburg, generated $718 million in sports spending in 2022, an increase of 8 percent from 2021.
The Western Virginia region’s sports tourism economy, which includes the Shenandoah Valley and Roanoke, generated $355 million in sports spending in 2022, while posting the highest level of year-over-year growth from 2021, an increase of more than 25 percent.
In 2020, the sports tourism sector in Virginia experienced a significant decline due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with a 38 percent reduction in visitation and a 47 percent decrease in spending. However, sports tourism played a pivotal role in Virginia’s recovery from the pandemic with visitor spending fully recovering in 2021 and by 2022, exceeding pre-pandemic levels.
In 2022, Virginia’s sports spending exceeded 2019 levels by 17 percent, and sports visitation saw an 11 percent increase compared to 2019 levels.
Virginia Tourism Corporation utilized $1 million of the American Rescue Plan Act funds to support a sports marketing incentive program. The funds were used for event incentives and marketing promotions targeted specifically at attracting new sports tournaments and competitions to spur economic activity and travel across the Commonwealth.
Virginia Tourism Corporation collaborated with Tourism Economics to conduct this comprehensive impact study. For the purposes of this study, sports tourism includes only adult and youth amateur tournaments and collegiate tournaments featuring participants or spectators traveling more than 50 miles or staying overnight away from home. The study excludes all collegiate regular season games or other professional sports including minor league or mid-level professional games, as well as general recreation.
For more information on Virginia Tourism Corporation’s sports tourism impact study, visit vatc.org/research/sports-tourism-impact.
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Crystal Graham
