Sports get the ball rolling for tourism

When thinking about what drives the tourism industry in the Mat-Su Valley, sports may not be the first thing you identify. But sporting events held in the Valley bring an influx of visitors to the area and provide a strong economic boost for local businesses.

The Valley obviously doesn’t have a Major League Baseball team, an NFL franchise or an NBA team. Youth and adult recreational sports, however, are just as important because various events, tournaments and games bring a large number of visitors to the Valley from around the state. And when those people arrive, they spend money.

You only have to think back a week for an example. The Fireweed 400 bicycle race was held in the Sheep Mountain area, and the initial Hatcher Pass Marathon took place in Willow. Racers from around Alaska converged on these two areas, with many spending the night before and after the event at local inns, which not only benefits the innkeeper, but also the Mat-Su Borough in the form of bed tax revenue. These racers probably visited restaurants, fueled their vehicles and more.

Adult team sports also are important. For example, the Mat-Su Softball Association hosts two large tournaments each year, and these attract teams and players from around the state for three days. While many teams opt to camp — which doesn’t generate bed tax dollars — they do eat at local restaurants, shop in local grocery stores, and contribute to local governments through sales tax. The money they paid to play in the tournament is also spread around the community — local refuse and septic companies benefit from providing their services during the tournament, for example.

In the winter, which is typically viewed as the “off” season for tourism in the Mat-Su Valley, high school games and tournaments are big business. A region basketball tournament will sometimes bring in 10 teams, their parents, possibly a grandparent or two and school administrators. That’s a few thousand visitors that wouldn’t have come to the Valley if not for the tournament.

The Valley also benefits from having a venue like the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center to host large-scale sports events, including the state hockey tournament. Without that facility, many of the events it hosts would be located in other cities such as Fairbanks or Anchorage, and that money spent by participants and spectators would leave the Valley.

In Palmer, renovations are under way at the Palmer Ice Arena, partly as a result of the Alaska Avalanche junior hockey team playing there. As a result, construction jobs are created, payroll taxes are generated and sales tax revenue gets a boost. Once the renovations are complete, the city will also see an economic bump from spectators and other teams coming to watch or play the Avalanche.

In 2008, the Mat-Su Borough contracted with the McDowell Group for the Tourism Infrastructure Needs Study. In that report, the McDowell Group wrote that “while many of the existing sport facilities were developed to meet local residents’ needs, they are important assets for attracting overnight visitors for tournaments and special events.”

A local soccer tournament or a high school wrestling tournament may not seem like tourist-related activity, but when you look deeper, you’ll find it makes perfect “cents.”

Casey Ressler (casey@alaskavisit.com) is the marketing and communications manager at the Mat-Su Convention & Visitors Bureau.