STATE COLLEGE — State Rep. Scott Conklin, D-Centre, Wednesday announced a grant of more than $93,000 to the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau to support the bureau’s investment in the 2024 Ironman 70.3 Triathlon Series.
Conklin said the grant, secured through the Department of Community and Economic Development’s Sports Marketing and Tourism Program, would help ensure Center County’s tourism bureau has the resources to continue its successful promotional efforts.
“Sports tourism provides tremendous benefits for our region by attracting visitors to patronize our local shops, restaurants and hotels,” Conklin said. “The 2024 Ironman Triathlon this summer was no exception, drawing more than 1,500 athletes alone and injecting an estimated $4.7 million into the economy. The new funding will help ensure that our tourism bureau has the resources needed to continue successfully promoting these events into the years ahead.”
The funding is part of a package of grants awarded for 11 major sporting events statewide. More about the Sports Marketing and Tourism Program is available at https://dced.pa.gov/programs/sports-marketing-and-tourism-program-smat/.
This post was originally published on here
