Palm Beach County has been recognized as one of the elite sports destinations in the United States per the Sports Business Journal (SBJ), which announced its second year of rankings for Best Sports Business Cities (BSBC). The SBJ focuses on destinations that are successful at attracting and hosting sporting events that are major economic drivers in the community.
The Palm Beaches ranked number five in the “Cities Without a Big Five Team” category, which represents destinations without a local sports franchise participating in the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, and MLS. This is a testament to Palm Beach County’s commitment to sports development, events, marketing, and infrastructure, which is spearheaded by an award-winning Sports Commission and a Tourist Development Council that prioritizes sports tourism.
The SBJ conducted research for six (6) years and compiled an extensive database of events, which included every type of event, which range from youth sports to collegiate events to Olympic-related events to professional sports. Communities with a sports commission, conventions, and visitor bureau, or sports venue tasked with luring sports events was considered a stand-alone market.
The 2024 BSBC emphasizes The Palm Beaches as a premier destination for sports tourism and highlights its achievements of producing successful sporting events and its natural beauty that event attendees enjoy year-round. The Palm Beach County Sports Commission hosted 196 events, representing over 40 different types of sports during the last year. The milestone year consisted of a diversified collection of events, which included a variety of amateur and professional sports serving a wide array of age groups. This collection of sports events generated over 410,000 lodging room nights and nearly $290 million in economic impact for Palm Beach County’s hospitality industry.
Palm Beach County’s sports resume is robust and diverse. Equestrian show jumping and baseball are two of the top-producing sports in The Palm Beaches. The Palm Beaches represent the only county that is home to two MLB Spring Training facilities that each accommodate two teams. In addition to hosting one out of four MLB Spring Training games in Florida, Palm Beach County is also home to one the largest collection of national baseball tournaments compared to any other destination in the United States. Home to the PGA Tour, ATP Tour, Billie Jean King Cup, FIP Polo World Championships, NCAA Championships, the Boca Raton Bowl, and an array of the largest youth sports events taking place in the nation, Palm Beach County is one of the preeminent sports destinations on the globe. This year, Palm Beach County was home to the first Olympic Qualifier to take place in the United States for the 2024 Summer Olympics Games in Paris (Federation of International Gymnastics – World Cup of Trampoline & Tumbling). The entire sports event industry traveled to The Palm Beaches this October, by hosting the 25th edition of the TEAMS Conference + Expo.
The 2024 BSBC emphasizes The Palm Beaches as a premier destination for sports tourism and highlights its achievements of producing successful sporting events and its natural beauty that event attendees enjoy year-round.
“In the dynamic landscape of sports, we are grateful that Palm Beach County has been ranked as an elite sports events destination by the Sports Business Journal. This achievement reflects our cooperative local sports community, a dynamic collection of venues, the nation’s best parks and recreation system, a dedicated hospitality industry, and inspiring county leadership. This recognition also symbolizes the unwavering commitment from our Sports Commission team and board of directors and the outstanding support from so many partners in our community,” said George Linley, Executive Director of Palm Beach County Sports Commission.
Go inside a record-setting, and now award-winning, year for sports tourism in The Palm Beaches by clicking below.
