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mer and winter tourist arrivals. Some destinations have what is known as permanent demand drivers – those events held in the same place every year – Wimbledon, The Masters, Tour de France, the Indianapolis 500 and so on. Not only are these events identified with their respective communities, they are also a sizable sum of revenues for local businesses, that might receive as much as half of their annual revenues from one single event. The examples above are the professional sporting events and activities. Lets examine a small- er and equally robust form of sports tourism that doesn't cap- ture global headlines. It's the active and passionate non-professional sports enthusi- ast. These are the people who have a regular job by day, and participate either actively or passively in some sports tourism activity on nights and weekends. Within the African- American community many active participation-oriented sports organizations fly under the radar. As a destination charged with attracting new business, ignoring these organizations is a costly mistake. How many of you have heard of the National Brotherhood of Skiers (NBS) outside of mentions in this magazine? If not, here's a little information. Formed in 1973, this non-profit is one of North America's largest ski organizations. Their annual Summit is largely recognized by the ski industry as the single largest gathering of skiers. With 59 clubs and thousands of members across the country, the NBS hits the slopes at resorts all over the world. The NBS 2015 National Summit is slated for February 21-28, 2015 at Aspen Snowmass in Colorado. If previous summits are an indication, these skiers will spend $500,000 or more in the Aspen area. Have you heard about the National Association of Black Scuba Divers? This organization, formed in 1991 by Ric Powell and Dr. A. Jose Jones is headquartered in Washington DC and has over 2,000 members. Their 2014 Summit will be held this November in Cozumel, Mexico. The National Bowling Association was formed back in 1939 to encourage Blacks to take up the sport when the main bowling congresses had "non-Caucasian" clauses in their bylaws. As someone who supplemented his income through bowling, this group is near and dear to my heart. Today the National Bowling Association has over 23,000 members in the United States and Bermuda, with regional tournaments all across the country. Their nation- al tournament was held this past May in Detroit. These bowlers have had regional tournaments in Irvine, CA; New Brunswick, NJ; Baton Rouge, LA; and Memphis, TN just to name a few. The American Tennis Association is approach its 100- year anniversary. This organiza- tion has over 10,000 members and 200 clubs. There's the National Negro Golf Association. They recently held a summer tournament in San Diego and will hold their national tournament at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Punta Cana, Dominican Republic in October. Here are few others that warrant your attention: The Black Softball Circuit, there's a Black Anglers group, a Black surfers organization, a National Black Marathoners Association and others. The opportunities to increase your sports tourism revenues within the Black commu- nity are endless. A place that's become synonymous with sports tourism is Indianapolis. Not only does this city host the annual Indianapolis 500, they will play host to the NCAA Men's Final Four in 2015 and the Woman's Final Four in 2016. In 2012 they hosted the Super Bowl with gross visitor spend- ing estimated at over $380 million. Indianapolis also hosts running events, gymnastics, the Olympic Diving Trials in 2016, golf tournaments and row- ing championships. Indianapolis has carved out a sports tourism reputation that's second to none. We all know about Miami's reputation as a destina- tion city for major sports such as the Super Bowl and the World Golf Championship held at the Doral. Among Birmingham's top sports tourism attractions are the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, numerous soft- B M & T ••• July/August 2014••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 42 The National Bowling Association Tournament Staff NABS Scuba Divers Ready for Action