Charleston, USA is a Good Example about How Sports Tourism Boosts Mid-Sized Cities
This year's WTA 500Charleston Open has officially begun. It is the only green clay court event on the WTA tour. The court surface is made from crushed volcanic rock, making the ball speed faster than red clay but slower than hard courts.
Above: Defending champion Jessica Pegula and her husband Taylor Gahagen attend this year's Charleston Open event
According to 2024 population statistics, Charleston has fewer than 160,000 residents, making it a typical "mid-sized city" (i.e., US cities with a population between 100,000 and 250,000), ranking 171st nationwide.
In terms of sports events, Charleston is "small but complete":
It is home to America's first golf course, Harleston Green, one of the oldest women's tennis tournaments, the Charleston Open, the largest keelboat regatta in the Western Hemisphere, and the third-largest 10K race of the US Track and Field Association, the Cooper River Bridge Run.
Charleston has also been named the top "minor league" market in the US by the Sports Business Journal, hosting minor league teams in baseball, hockey, and soccer: the Charleston RiverDogs, South Carolina Stingrays, and Charleston Battery.
Sports are a major driver attracting people to the Charleston area. Professional tennis player Alison Riske-Amritraj (pictured below) even purchased property locally after competing in the Charleston Open.
According to the Charleston Regional Development Alliance, the sports industry generates billions of dollars in economic impact annually for Charleston, along with approximately 7 million visitors.
The thriving sports industry also creates jobs. One in ten residents of South Carolina works in the hospitality industry, and between 2017 and 2022, Charleston's overall labor force growth rate was three times the US average.
Local businesses are also investing in luxury accommodation projects to meet the rising demand for high-value experiences. Beemok, the parent company of the Charleston Open—owned by Ben Navarro, father of "second-richest" Emma Navarro—has developed The Cooper, the area's only luxury beachfront hotel, which officially opened this year. The hotel has created over 450 jobs.
| Sources: Charleston Regional Development Alliance; ABC News;
| Image credits: Tennis tournament official Instagram; The Cooper official website; Running event official website; USTA