Northwest Indiana draws tourists with sporting events

CROWN POINT, Ind. (AP) - Efforts are underway in northwest Indiana to host sporting events as an economic tourism engine.

The National Softball Association "A'' World Series in Crown Point this week is one of several youth tournaments in the area this summer, The Times of Northwest Indiana (http://bit.ly/2aobACm ) reported.

The city envisioned the influx of tourism when it began investing in the Sportsplex and the Legacy Fields at Center Ross Park years ago, said Crown Point Mayor David Uran.

"It brings people to Crown Point, and they spend their disposable income here," Uran said. "It also gives our home teams a competitive edge."

Uran said the events also help Crown Point stand out as a future destination for sports tourism.

"It puts Crown Point on the map for these other championship tournament opportunities," Uran said. "Our resume will speak for itself, and it's great to see it come to fruition as we plan for tomorrow."

The estimated economic impact of the softball tournament alone is $500,000, said Speros Batistatos, president and CEO of the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority.

"We know there will be a few million dollars pumped into the economy this summer with all these families coming in," Batistatos said. "This is the kind of thing that got a region like ours through the bad times. Even when people were canceling vacation plans because of the recession, they still had the travel teams."

Additionally, the tourism board in Porter County has conducted a study about such events, and there are plans for a sports resort in Portage. Construction of the $8 million Mascot Hall of Fame is expected to start in Whiting this fall.

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Information from: The Times, http://www.thetimesonline.com