Why youth sports tourism is becoming a core part of Utah’s economy

SALT LAKE CITY — Bringing in just under $200 million to Salt Lake County last year, local experts are sharing why sports tourism has become a core part of Utah’s economy.

In 2024, people visiting the area for sporting events brought $194 million into Salt Lake County’s economy, according to Visit Salt Lake President and CEO Kaitlin Eskelson.

While some people might think the majority of that money comes from Utes, Utah Jazz, and Utah Mammoth games, Eskelson said a bulk of the money actually came from people visiting for youth sports.

“The amount of money that parents are willing to spend on their children, and, whether that’s to get them into college on a scholarship, or whatnot, or just to have fun and to grow, that is one of their non negotiables for a lot of parents,” Eskelson said. “They’re spending, you know, upwards of $1,000 a month per kid.”

Eskelson said Visit Salt Lake has seen a 300% increase in overnight room bookings since 2001 and it only expects the market to keep growing.

“I mean we love (bringing) new residents to the state, of course,” Eskelson said. “But, these are people that we’re not housing, we’re not educating, they’re not using our public utilities…”

Eskelson said the money brought in by sports tourists not only saves residents money on their tax bills, it also leaves more in the pot to build new sports facilities. That’s something she said is going to be critical for the future given the majority of these dollars are coming from parents and families traveling in for youth sporting events.

As those sports grow, they’ll need new facilities, which will also help the tourist market grow even more over time.

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