Top 10 States by Economic Impact of Spectator Sports Tourism in 2024 Announced

TULSA, OKLAHOMA (April 16, 2025, 1 PM CT) – Sports ETA, the trade association for the sports events and tourism industry, released its latest State of the Industry: Spectator Sports Tourism report, spotlighting the impact of spectator sports tourism across America. The 2024 study revealed that spectator sports tourism generated $47.1 billion in direct spending, powering a total economic impact of $114.4 billion and supporting 664,860 full-time and part-time jobs across the country. It also contributed $8.5 billion in state and local tax revenues. The new data shows that 109.7 million non-local attendees traveled 50 miles or more to attend sporting events in 2024, with 63.5 million staying overnight.

The study was conducted by Tourism Economics, with support from Northstar Meetings Group, the presenting sponsor of the association’s annual “State of the Industry” research reports.

This year’s analysis focused exclusively on spectator sports tourism, including professional, minor league, and collegiate regular season games. It excludes amateur and youth events, which were the focus of Sports ETA's previous benchmark report in 2023. 

“Spectator sports travel continues to play an essential role in driving tourism and economic vitality in communities nationwide,” said John David, President & CEO of Sports ETA. “This year's expanded study affirms the far-reaching impact of fans traveling to watch their favorite teams and athletes in person."

The spectator sports tourism report sets the benchmark for the next decade and more as the United States will host many of the world’s largest sporting events starting this summer with FIFA Club World Cup 2025. Future events include FIFA World Cup 2026, 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Rugby World Cup 2031 (men’s), Rugby World Cup 2033 (women’s) and 2034 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. 

Also noted, the international impact of spectator sports tourism is at 1.8 million international travelers with $3.9 billion in direct spending by those international travelers.

The report also identified the Top 10 list of states in terms of the economic impact generated by spectator sports tourism in 2024 with a top three of California, Texas and Florida. 

“These states are leading examples of how strong destination infrastructure, venue investment, and a passionate fan base translate into tourism growth,” added David. “This deeper look at spectator sports helps our Sports ETA members evaluate trends and plan for future growth.”

The State of the Industry: Spectator Sports Tourism Executive Summary is available at research.sportseta.org. The full report is free to Sports ETA members. The report is provided free of charge to members of the media. If you are interested in a copy of this report or an interview with a Sports ETA representative, please contact Jackie Reau at jreau@gamedaypr.com.

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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 850 member organizations and 2,400 sports event professionals. We promise to deliver quality education, ample networking opportunities, and exceptional event management and marketing know-how to our members to protect the integrity of the sports events and tourism industry.  For more information, visit SportsETA.org.

About Northstar Meetings Group:
Northstar Meetings Group is the leading B-to-B information and marketing solutions company serving all segments of the sports, business meetings, events and incentives market. The company’s audience includes full-and part-time event organizers, as well as sports, corporate, association and not-for-profit decision-makers, and incentive professionals, facilitating their professional development and achievement of business goals. The company's influential brands – SportsTravel, Meetings & Conventions, SuccessfulMeetings, Associations Meetings International, Meetings & Incentive Travel, Meeting News, Incentive and M&C Asia – currently serve nearly 500,000 active meeting planners, event organizers and incentive professionals across an integrated suite of data, digital, events and print products. In addition to publishing SportsTravel, the Sports Division organizes several industry-leading conferences, including the TEAMS Conference, TEAMS Europe and the EsportsTravelSummit. For more information, please visit NorthstarMeetingsGroup.com.

About Tourism Economics:
Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics company, focuses on the intersection of the economy and travel sector, providing actionable insights to our clients. We provide our worldwide client base of over 300 leading companies, associations, and destinations with direct access to the most comprehensive set of historic and forecast travel data available. Our team of specialist economists develops custom economic impact studies, policy analysis, and forecast models to help drive better marketing, investment, and policy decisions.