SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — Mayor Todd Gloria and local officials announce Thursday the formation of "Sports San Diego" -- a DBA under the San Diego Bowl Game Association that produces the annual SDCCU Holiday Bowl.
Sports San Diego will serve as the primary organization for marketing San Diego as a sports destination and driving visitor demand through recruiting, supporting, and hosting sports events.
Sports San Diego is strategically aligned under the non-profit San Diego Bowl Game Association (501c3); organizers of one of the region’s longest standing annual tourism driving sports events.
Sports events have been a pillar of the tourism industry in San Diego dating back to the 1960s. San Diego has been successful in hosting some of the largest events in the world from the Super Bowl to the U.S. Open.
Mayor Gloria said he's excited for Sports San Diego to bring more world-class sporting events to San Diego to help boost our regional economy.
“The launch of Sports San Diego is the definition of big city energy,” Mayor Todd Gloria said. “San Diego is always ready to show the world what we have to offer: unbeatable weather, world-class entertainment venues, an incredible hospitality industry and unparalleled quality of life."
Several San Diego companies have already stepped up to the plate to become Founding Partners of the organization including: Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., Kaiser Permanente, General Dynamics NASSCO, and Rady Children’s Hospital.
According to Tourism Economics, nearly 180 million people traveled to a sports event in the United States as a participant or spectator in 2019 resulting in $45.1 billion in economic impact. It is estimated that sports events generate over 300,000 hotel room nights locally each year.