Mobile, Alabama is looking to grow tourism through sports

Eighteen people met on Thursday at the Outlaw Convention Center to consider proposals to increase sports tourism, with former Mobile mayor Mike Dow serving as the facilitator.

Dow said the aim is to bring 3 million to 5 million more out-of-state visitors a year to Mobile, with sports-and-recreation tourism forming a slice of that increase. The planners hope to increase Mobile's tourism to the level associated with other southern destination cities, such as Charleston, S.C., and Savannah, Ga.

Mobile wants to take a swing at attracting more regional and national sports events, particularly youth tournaments, where the visitors include not only the participants but their families, too.