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Sports tourism leaders pitch state tools and say Georgia lags peers in dedicated funding
Summary
Speakers from Georgia Sports and the Gwinnett Sports Commission told the committee that sports tourism drives hotel stays and local spending, but Georgia lacks dedicated state funding and competes with states that provide cash incentives to attract events. Presenters described a state-offered sports index platform and urged consideration of state
Officials representing Georgias sports tourism sector told the Economic Development & Tourism committee that youth and amateur events are an everyday driver of hotel stays and local spending across small and mid‑sized communities.
Lehi Hooten, director of sports development with the Gwinnett Sports Commission and a board member of Georgia Sports, said the state and local sports commissions rely primarily on a portion of local hotel‑motel tax revenue and that Georgia currently competes without dedicated state grant funding while other states (for example Texas) operate tiered grant programs.
"We are funded by primarily by a portion…
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