Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism Announces New Sports Alliance

Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism (BWCT) is excited to announce the formation of the Bellingham Whatcom County Sports Alliance. The Alliance aims to improve the local economy by marketing our area’s sports and outdoor recreation opportunities to those 50+ miles away.

The Alliance will operate as a department of BWCT—with dedicated staff, resources, and web presence—while working closely with local stakeholders including race directors, tournament directors, facility managers, parks managers, city and county officials, and other members of the sports and recreation community. It will also collaborate with local lodging properties to establish room blocks for teams, participants, and families.

In addition to raising awareness of our area as a destination for sporting events, the Alliance also aims to:

Foster a more vibrant sports culture in Bellingham and Whatcom County, enhancing quality of life for residents and visitors alike.
Attract new business to our area using resources like Playeasy, a sports marketing platform that includes the largest online network of event organizers, destinations, and facilities from across the country, and by attending sports tourism conferences and educational events.
Advocate for the development of new sports facilities as well as improvements to existing ones.
Collaborate with organizations to respond to Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for potential new events.
Promote existing sporting events by exhibiting at consumer trade shows, expos, and outdoor recreation events and through sponsorships, referrals, resources, and grant support.
Continue building programs like the Bellingham Athlete Ambassador program, which sponsors local athletes who travel to destination races and compete locally.

BWCT looks forward to seeing how the Alliance positively impacts our community in the years to come.

Visit Bellingham | Whatcom County is an independent, 501 (c)(6) nonprofit economic development organization whose purpose is to improve the economy by marketing Bellingham Whatcom County as a premier, year-round visitor, sports, outdoor recreation, arts and cultural, and meetings destination, which supports all travel, tourism, and hospitality businesses and nonprofits in Whatcom County.

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We acknowledge that Whatcom County is located on the unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples. They cared for the lands that included what we’d call the Puget Sound region, Vancouver Island and British Columbia since time immemorial. This gives us the great obligation and opportunity to learn how to care for our surrounding areas and all the natural and human resources we require to live. We express our deepest respect and gratitude for our indigenous neighbors, the Lummi Nation and Nooksack Tribe, for their enduring care and protection of our shared lands and waterways.