Washington County thrust into the sporting arena of the world

Ironman triathlete Heather Wurtele cycling through Snow Canyon State Park, May 7, 2016 | File photo courtesy of the Greater Zion Convention & Tourism Office, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — The Greater Zion area is on a premier stage like never before, Kevin Lewis, Greater Zion Director of Tourism remarked at the 26th Annual “What’s Up Down South” economic summit Thursday. Lewis said that in a little over 13 months, Washington County will host three world championship endurance events, including the Ironman World Championship and two Ironman 70.3 World Championships.

Kevin Lewis, Greater Zion Director of Tourism speaks at the 26th Annual “What’s Up Down South” Economic Summit, St. George, Utah, Jan. 13, 2022 | Photo by Stephanie DeGraw, St. George News

The Ironman World Championship is the longest-running, most iconic endurance event globally according to its website. St. George will be the first destination outside Kona, Hawaii, to host it in 44 years on May 7, 2022. 

“Jeff Robbins, in the Utah Sports Commission, said the Ironman World Championship might be the biggest event in the U.S. since the 2002 Olympics. That’s amazing just to hear that,” Lewis said, “It shows what kind of global marquee brand southern Utah has become.”

Like what the Winter Olympics did for northern Utah in 2002, Washington County hosting three back-to-back world championships showcases the area. It demonstrates our people’s capabilities and strengthens the fundamental economic value of our communities, Lewis said.

Initially, Hawaii was moving forward as planned for Ironman in 2022. There were indicators that international visitors to the U.S. would be reduced. Two weeks later, the situation had changed drastically. The COVID-19 delta variant case numbers rose rapidly in Utah and Hawaii, while in other parts of the world, the number of cases spiked. American leaders announced they would not change international travel restrictions, limiting nearly half of all athletes who qualified for the Ironman’s world championship events. 

Ryan Coates, Desert Color Marketing Manager greets attendees at the “What’s Up Down South” Economic Summit, St. George, Utah, Jan. 13, 2022 | Photo by Stephanie DeGraw, St. George News

The Ironman organization worked with local officials in Hawaii and Utah to find ways to put on a world-class event. 

The two states had very different approaches to the pandemic. Hawaii’s approach was extreme caution, requiring quarantines for non-vaccinated travelers and only accepting vaccination records from a small list of approved countries. The surge of the COVID-19 virus overwhelmed the island.

In 2020, the Ironman World Championship was postponed to February 2021 and then canceled. That event was eventually scrapped as well. 

Washington County has gained credibility and respect from business owners and leaders worldwide through recent sporting events, Lewis said.

“This street cred enhances the economic development opportunities for business sectors far beyond tourism, sports and hospitality,” Lewis said. 

Greater Zion receives many emails from participants in the area’s sporting events. Besides world-class scenery, the common thread is the St. George area has the most outstanding hospitality, Lewis said.

“That’s what makes the difference here; we have such great support. We have great scenery and an upgraded course, ” Lewis said. “We have this incredible support from our leadership, agencies and everybody that is involved in putting these two ends on that it makes it so that people want to come back.”

These year-round events enhance the economic development opportunities for businesses beyond tourism, sports and hospitality according to the Applied Analysis Impact Study from 2019. Other benefits for the community include; direct spending, jobs created, labor income, income and sales tax, local business output and many outside business owners that visit Washington County see it as an attractive business investment, Lewis said.

“So you have all the tourism businesses and the people who have to supply those businesses. Those are indirect impacts,” Lewis said, adding that direct impacts to the local economy include when businesses pay their employees who are going out in the community and spending money in the other companies. “That’s how you get that ripple effect,” he said.

Hospitality and leisure taxable sales in Washington County make it the fourth most profitable area in the state. It has $600 million in taxable sales, according to a report by the Kem C. Gardener Policy Institute at the University of Utah.

An audience member asked how local businesses that are not hospitality can show support of iconic events. Lewis suggested all types of businesses share on social media beautiful promotional photos and videos of the area.

“A non-hospitality business can show support by being hospitable,” Laurie Peter, Bob Richards & Associates, Berkshire Hathaway Utah Properties team member, said. “The kindness our community shows to all visitors is just one of the reasons iconic events like Ironman continue to partner with Greater Zion to host events.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

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