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PHOTO: PAT GALLAGHER
George Page, executive director Valdosta-Lowndes Parks and Recreation Authority, and Tim Riddle, general manager of the Valdosta-Lowndes Tourism Authority.
Valdosta-Lowndes County
Promoting an All-Star Package
It’s a winning combination—great location, excellent facilities, and attention to details.
That’s the playbook that George Page, executive director of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority (VLPRA), has been using to recruit sports tournaments to the community.
Page has been representing the VLPRA at national sporting association conferences since 2012, and it’s paying o .
Last year, the VLPRA reported a $6 million economic impact based on 35 tournaments, with 16 requiring
an overnight stay, resulting in approximately 8,000 room nights. In the past three years, the economic impact of sports tourism has reached approximately $16 million in Lowndes County.
“We have not scratched the surface
in Valdosta and Lowndes County when it comes to sports tourism,” said Page, who arrived in Valdosta in 2011. “We are just rounding rst base.”
To help accelerate the marketing e orts, Page has teamed up with
Tim Riddle, general manager of the Valdosta-Lowndes Tourism Authority, to help promote a more uni ed e ort in recruiting tournaments.
With an inventory of more than 4,000 hotel rooms, an abundance of restaurants, shopping, and entertainment, Valdosta-Lowndes County’s hospitality industry plays a signi cant role in accommodating overnight visitors.
Last year, Page and Riddle attended the National Association of Sports Commissions (NASC) conference to recruit tournaments that would be a “good t” for Lowndes County.
Riddle explained that having both the sports facilities and tourism representatives recruiting at
the same conference shows a community partnership.
“Teamwork is the key,” Riddle said. “A lot of our counterpart communities
22 SG MAGAZINE | SPRING 2017