Sport Tourism

Nice editorial in the Journal Pioneer on Friday. Certainly, one does not have to convince me of the economic impact sporting events have on a community. In developing a course called, "Festival and Event Management" I spent countless hours researching what other areas of the world invest in Sport Tourism. I had one local tourism operator say to me that events do not bring in major dollars. I beg to differ if well planned and implemented. Consider the following, although from the 1990s, this is the most recent stats I could find:

•200,000 sport events are held in Canada each year
•27 million tourist trips were made to Canada for sports events in 1994
•53,000 Canadians worked in sport-related jobs in 1991
•2 out of 5 U.S. tourists attended an organized sport event
•Reference: Park and Recreation Ontario

A showcase in several ways
The Journal Pioneer
They may not be NHL all-stars yet, but 40 draft-eligible players got the chance to shine when they were in Summerside this week.Summerside hosted the Canadian Junior Hockey League Prospects Game and skills competition this week, the first time it’s been hosted in eastern Canada. There have only been four CJHL Prospects Games, most of which were hosted in Western Canadian cities.By all accounts, those involved in organizing the junior hockey showcase in Summerside were impressed with what they saw.About 40 scouts were on hand for the prospects game, featuring players selected by National Hockey League Central Scouting and the CJHL.One of those NHL scouts said Credit Union Place was one of the best facilities he has seen – and he’s seen plenty.Traditionally the prospects game has attracted 500 to 700 spectators. The Summerside one had 1,037 in attendance, even on a rather stormy night. So event organizers were certainly happy with the number of bodies in the seats as well.This bodes well for Summerside’s bid to host the 2011 Royal Bank Cup. Many city residents would well remember the last time Summerside hosted the Royal Bank Cup in 1997 when the home team Western Capitals – the underdogs – were victorious.The other advantage of the city hosting the Prospects game was the entertainment value for those who attended Wednesday night’s match between the East and West teams. The thousand or so fans were treated to some decent hockey. They also got a chance to see some players whose names could be showing up on future NHL entry draft lists.This prospects event is not designed to be a money-maker, although there was some investment returned in ticket sales and concessions. The community also welcomed 40 players, other team representatives, presidents and commissioners who all stayed in local hotels and ate at city restaurants.But the exposure for Summerside’s state-of-the-art facility and for its staff’s ability to put together such an event, is priceless. If we want to continue the tradition of being the sports hosting capital, we’ve got to continue to seek out such events. They usually lead to others. And this one could lead to another prospects game.And any time there’s a group of people coming into town for a couple of days to participate in some type of sport or activity, the whole city benefits.