BATON ROUGE, La. – The Louisiana Office of Tourism (LOT) and Louisiana Travel Association (LTA) recognized Louisiana sports stakeholders and tourism leaders with their 2020 Team Louisiana Awards this month. The Team Louisiana Awards highlight people and businesses that propel the tourism industry through sporting events. Team Louisiana is a sports-tourism coalition that includes 17 member communities statewide in partnership with LOT and LTA.
Team Louisiana Award recipients include officials with the Broussard Sports Complex at St. Julien Park, as well as organizers of the Pool Do’s Cajun Coast Classic 9-Ball Tournament in Morgan City, and the Louisiana State Games in Monroe.
Broussard Sports Complex at St. Julien Park received the Team Louisiana Sports Supporter Award honoring a facility and its staff that has enhanced the local community by driving sports tourism, creating economic impact, and bringing a positive influence. According to data provided by the Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission. In 2019, this facility yielded 31,400 spectators; 9,782 requested rooms; and, $4.8 million in estimated economic impact.
Pool Do’s Cajun Coast Classic 9-Ball Tournament in Morgan City won the Team Louisiana Sports Innovator Award, which champions an organization or individual that has created and developed a successful new sports event in 2019. According to Carrie Stansbury, Executive Director of the Cajun Coast Visitors & Convention Bureau, event organizer Jason Romero has quickly become a key partner for the Cajun Coast and our efforts to promote St. Mary Parish.
Louisiana State Games secured the Team Louisiana Sports Investor Award, which recognizes an organization or individual that has successfully hosted and invested in sports events for five or more years in the state of Louisiana. The quality amateur competition of the Louisiana State Games provided the Monroe-West Monroe community and region an economic impact of $358,000 through hotel stays and visitor spending in 2019.
Additionally, Team Louisiana honored Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser with the inaugural Spirit of Team Louisiana Sports Award that holds attributes of all the above awards encompassing countless support, innovation, and investment to the advancement of sports tourism in Louisiana.
“Over the last 12 months, Louisiana has faced numerous adversities including the pandemic, record hurricanes, and most recently winter storms. Amid those challenges, sports events have promoted tourism in Louisiana communities and regions, garnering impacts both economically and to our overall quality of life,” said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser.
