Contact: Jackie Reau
Game Day
(513) 708-5822 | jreau@gamedaypr.com

Caitlyn Blizzard
VP of Communications, Destinations International
1 (202) 835-4202 I cblizzard@destinationsinternational.org
 

Sports ETA and Destinations International create strategic partnership
to elevate sports events and tourism education and advocacy in America

 
CINCINNATI (August 8, 2022) – Sports Events and Tourism Association (Sports ETA), the professional trade association for the sports events and tourism industry, and Destinations International, the world’s largest resource for official destination organizations and convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs), today announced a new two-year partnership with a focus on educational programming and industry research.
 
The sports events and tourism industry is one of the largest sectors in the travel and tourism industry. According to Sports ETA’s annual State of the Industry Report, the sports tourism sector’s direct spending impact is $39.7 billion, which generated a total economic impact of $91.8 billion, supporting 635,000 full-time and part-time jobs and generating $12.9 billion in taxes in the United States.
 
The new partnership between Sports ETA and Destinations International will include the following goals:

• Education Initiatives: Sports ETA will serve as the exclusive partner for sports tourism-related education content for Destinations International.
• Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI): Sports ETA will integrate Destinations International’s robust EDI programming into its membership offerings.
• Research Initiatives: Sports ETA and Destinations International will collaborate on jointly produced reports, case studies, and white papers.

 
“Sports ETA and Destinations International share a common goal of empowering our members with resources to improve the communities they serve,” said Al Kidd, president and CEO of Sports ETA. “Our new partnership will continue our collaboration among a number of important areas for our sports events and tourism industry.”
 
“Destinations International and Sports ETA have enjoyed a collaborative relationship for a number of years,” said Don Welsh, president and CEO of Destinations International. “This new strategic partnership will elevate our work to support the sports events and tourism industry and both of our membership bases across our education and research efforts.”
 

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About Sports ETA
As the only trade association for the sports events and tourism industry, Sports ETA is the most trusted resource for sports commissions, destination marketing organizations (DMOs), and sports event owners. Sports ETA is committed to the success of more than 600 member organizations and 2,500 sports event professionals. We promise to deliver quality education, ample networking opportunities and exceptional event management and marketing know-how to our members and to protect the integrity of the sports events and tourism industry.  For more information, visit SportsETA.org.
 
About Destinations International
Destinations International is the world’s largest resource for official destination organizations, convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs) and tourism boards. Destinations International strives to make its members and their destinations successful. The association informs, connects, inspires and educates members with the goal to drive destination economic impact, job creation, community sustainability and quality of life through travel. For more information, visit destinationsinternational.org.