With visitors streaming into New Orleans for its sporting events every year, there has never been a better time to have a career in sports tourism. Sports tourism includes many fields wrapped into one and has allowed employees to indulge in their passion for sports while connecting folks with their favorite teams and events. Below are some reasons why a career in sports tourism has been such a success for everyone involved.

Getting Started With Sports Tourism

Sports tourism usually involves catering to tourists and locals who like to mix sports into their travels or hobbies. This can mean everything from visiting a sporting museum to attending major sporting events. People who work in sports tourism in New Orleans not only get visitors to these events, but also make sure they’re having a great time.

If you’re wondering why a career in sports tourism in New Orleans is such a smart move, you should know that 9.52 million made their way to New Orleans in 2014. In addition to exploring our city’s wonderful history, cuisine, and culture, many visitors flocked to sports events on behalf of our own teams, the New Orleans Saints (NFL) and New Orleans Pelicans (NBA) in addition to special events like IndyCar racing, the Zurich Classic golf event, the AVP beach volleyball tournament, and so much more.

There are a lot of options involving a career in sports tourism, with plenty of positions for those with a university degree and others that allow others to begin a rewarding career from nearly any starting position.

It’s not unusual for professionals to start as a bellboy and work their way up to hotel management or others to start in a restaurant as a waiter and gain the experience they need to open their own dining establishment. Similarly, with plenty of visitors making New Orleans their travel destination, there are plenty of well-paid and secure careers in sports tourism that provide the upward mobility we all want in a career.

Photo courtesy of vxla on Flickr.

A Variety of Careers in New Orleans

New Orleans already has great nationally recognized sporting teams, such as the New Orleans Saints and the New Orleans Pelicans. However, sporting fans may also want to tour the stadium, obtain exclusive access to certain key spots like the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, and also participate in the general festivities that make New Orleans such a great city. Our sports tourism professionals are making it happen every day.

There are more than 80,000 jobs in the tourism industry in New Orleans and many different fields are involved, including marketing, running tour operations, facility management, public relations and various management positions. Many of these jobs are directly or indirectly linked to sporting events, meaning there are plenty of different ways people in New Orleans are taking advantage of a career in sports tourism.

Photo courtesy of Michael Tipton on Flickr.

Jobs With Sporting Commissions in New Orleans

One of the most exciting career opportunities is working for a sports commission like the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation. Sports commissions often network with other sports commissions, chambers of commerce and visitor’s bureaus to bring more tourists to our city and keep our economy humming.

Professionals in sports tourism have also done a great job of attracting visitors and helping stage sporting events. After all, putting on something as large as the Super Bowl, NBA AllStars, or a NCAA Championship game requires coordination among many, many people, from security personnel to ushers to sales managers and more.
Ultimately, there are plenty of well-paying careers in sports tourism in New Orleans. As our tourism industry has grown, so have the opportunities for careers in sports tourism. With options for those entering the field and advancing through a career in sports like broadcasting, communications, security personnel, sales, and so much more, sports tourism in New Orleans has a bright future. Score!