Sarasota County Sports Commission named Sports Tourism Organization of the Year
Population under 400,000
SARASOTA, Fla. (March 29, 2017) The Sarasota County Sports Commission (SCSC), a division of Visit Sarasota County (VSC), received the Sports Tourism Organization of the Year for population under 400,000 award by the National Association of Sports Commissions today, March 28, 2017, at their 25th annual conference in Sacramento, California. The award recognizes and honors sports commissions who are innovative in marketing and hosting sporting events and who set an example for other sports commissions to follow.
“It’s an honor to be recognized by our peers for our work,” said Robert Wells, Director of Sports Visit Sarasota County. “It is a testament to Sarasota County’s commitment and dedication to sports tourism. The entire sports tourism community should be applauded for the outstanding job they do to attract and welcome sporting event organizers, athletes and spectators year after year.”
In 2016, SCSC hosted 135 events, an increase of 20% over 2015. These events generated an economic impact of $178,565,040. Sarasota continues to garner worldwide attention. In the 2016 Sportcal Global Sport Cities Index, Sarasota County moved up 21 spots now ranking 2nd in Florida, behind Miami; 15th in the United States and 181th in the world. Further SCSC was the first of its kind to sponsor British Rowing as tactic to raise awareness of Sarasota’s rowing amenities.
“I am extremely proud of our sports team and their accomplishments,” said Virginia Haley, president of Visit Sarasota County. ”This award is also a positive reflection of the collaborative efforts of everyone at Visit Sarasota County.”
For more information about Visit Sarasota County, please contact Lynn Hobeck Bates at [email protected].
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Visit Sarasota County leads and supports the tourism industry in Sarasota County by providing the highest quality, and most innovative, marketing programs and promotions to ensure the continued growth of tourism and travel from visitors around the world. It is the mission of VSC to make Sarasota County the must experience destination on Florida’s Gulf Coast.
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