April 14--Cricket or the Super Bowl? The answer is both for Broward County tourism officials striving to continue luring a record number of visitors to the county.

Even as snagging another Super Bowl in 2016 is a high priority, tourism officials see a wider plane of sporting events as one of the keys to developing a yearround economic engine.

"Sports tourism is one of our growth markets," said Nicki E. Grossman, president of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. "It's a big money maker."

In 2012, sports tourism had an estimated $530 million economic impact in Broward and generated 600,000 room nights benefiting local hotels, she said. In all, last year 12 million visitors contributed nearly $10 billion to the local economy, with nearly half of that spent on rooms and food. Optomistic tourism officials are predicting to hit 13 million.

The focus on sports tourism is part of the CVB's broader strategy that also includes boosting gay and multicultural tourism and offering more incentives to film and entertainment companies. The target audience includes amateur, collegiate and professional leagues and associations that represent various sports from badminton and volleyball to swimming and gymnastics.

Last summer, Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill hosted international cricket matches between the West Indies and New Zealand in its cricket stadium. The cricket facility is the only one in the U.S. that's certified by the International Cricket Council.

"We have our toes in the water with cricket, which generated a $3 million impact in 2012," said Grossman.

The effort has been an ongoing one. In 2005, Broward County hosted the World Youth Netball Championship, marking the first time the championship games were played in the U.S. Players came from more than 20 countries.

This year through March, Broward has already hosted more than 35 sporting events, which attracted more than 80,000 attendees, including athletes, coaches and their families, according to CVB data.

Two events in town this month at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Complex are the YMCA Masters National Swimming Championships, which ends today, and the YMCA National Diving Championships, April 25-28.

Last April, the YMCA Masters attracted 1,200 attendees, generated 2,250 room nights, and brought $835,200 in economic impact to the county, CVB data shows. The tourism agency's goal is to increase the economic impact of sports tourism $1 billion within the next three years, she said.

"South Florida tourism officials do a nice job of bringing in a lot of amateur athletic groups," said Kathleen Davis, president of Sport Management Research Institute, a California-based consulting firm that specializes in sport and entertainment business.

The region also has "an incredible array of premier sports events that are really fabulous tourism drivers," added Davis, who has an office in West Palm Beach.

One new sporting event that's in the works is the JCC Maccabi Games in July 2015, which is expected to attract an international gathering of about 1,200 Jewish youth athletes, according to organizers.

"We plan to partner with athletic facilities throughout Broward County, including local colleges," said Debra Eisenger, a volunteer co-chairwoman of the coordinating committee.

The Olympic-style sporting competition for Jewish teenagers is expected to draw many spectators and could bring an estimated economic impact of at least $1.6 million.

"Sports tourism is a great opportunity for people to meet in Greater Fort Lauderdale," said Grossman. "When the kids are here, Mom and Dad come, and they bring the extended family as well to watch them compete."

[email protected], 954-356-4209 or Twitter@TheSatchreport.

___

(c)2013 the Sun Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)

Visit the Sun Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) at www.sun-sentinel.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services