Tourism and event planners are going all in on sports as the future of tourism in the Tri-Cities.

A planned expansion of the Three Rivers Convention Center in Kennewick is expected to add tens of thousands of square feet that could support large-scale tournaments in basketball, volleyball, gymnastics and more.

A recently proposed master plan for the HAPO Center in west Pasco recommends better integrating with neighboring city-owned athletic fields, adding a second ice rink to serve an underserved demand for ice time and securing more amenities for those attending sporting events there.

“Cities suffer without these types of facilities,” Charlie Johnson of C.H. Johnson Consulting recently told the Franklin County Board of Commissioners. “It actually gives the market a variety of things to do.”

Economic boost

It’s a strategy that could provide a welcome boost to the region’s tourism economy. The lodging tax advisory boards in Kennewick, Pasco and Richland reported increased tax revenues in 2024 but they were primarily driven by increased room rates than increased visitors. That isn’t expected to change any time soon.

“Looking forward, the forecast for revenue growth in 2025 and 2026 is more conservative at 2%, based on an assumption that travel activity will remain relatively flat during these years, but that room rates will continue to increase modestly each year,” said Jessica Platt, Kennewick’s finance director, in a memo to her city’s lodging tax advisory board this past fall.

And there’s recent evidence that the specialty sports market could help.

The inaugural 70.3 Ironman race in Richland this past fall brought an estimated 10,000 participants and spectators to the region and injected approximately $7 million into the Tri-City economy. And the race will return annually through 2026.

“That opens up a whole new market of people who start talking about your area,” Kevin Lewis, president and CEO of Visit Tri-Cities, recently told the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business.

Post-pandemic rebound

According to Visit Tri-Cities, tourism supports more than 5,700 jobs in the Tri-Cities, with visitors spending just under $600 million in 2023. The industry also generates tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue.

But tourism across the state has struggled to rebound since the Covid-19 pandemic. Just as inflation and cost increases contributed the most to increase lodging tax revenue in the region, state tourism officials said the same factors were in play for all visitor spending in the state.

“In inflation-adjusted terms, the industry remains 8% behind 2019 levels,” according to a news release on the state’s 2023 tourism spending, the most recent full year of data available. State officials added that the total number of visitors has still not reached pre-pandemic levels.

“While we are pleased to see incremental pandemic recovery, we know its pace is uneven across state geographies, business segments and tourism markets,” said David Blandford, CEO of State of Washington Tourism, in a 2024 news release. “Increased investment in the state tourism program will drive needed returns in Washington’s visitor spending, tax revenue and job growth and allow us to optimize growth potential in key markets such as international visitation.”

Wine tourism

With multiple American Viticultural Areas, or AVAs, and hundreds of wineries, the wine industry also has played a big part in bringing visitors to the area and continues to do so.

The state’s tourism department recognizes 11 tourism regions, and the Tri-Cities is joined by Yakima and Walla Walla in the so-called Wine Country region.

But the wine industry faces challenges, too.

Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, the largest producer in the Pacific Northwest, closed its 14 Hands and Columbia Crest tasting rooms and wine clubs in November though it will continue to produce and sell wine. Silicon Valley Bank’s State of the US Wine Industry Report for 2025 also noted that wine demand has flattened, a result of the Baby Boomer generation declining and younger generations having less interest in wine.

“This year’s business sentiment index is at a 10-year low point. The most dramatic change revolves around consumer demand – which is the category of highest concern,” the report stated.

Optimism for days ahead

Despite the headwinds, Lewis is optimistic about the region’s tourism industry, and the success of the Ironman competition is the basis of a lot of it.

Visit Tri-Cities recorded nearly 150 pieces of media coverage about the region in 2024, more than three times what was published the year prior. Participants in the Ironman event were later surveyed by organizers on their impression of the event and it received what is called a “net promoter” score of 80. The global average for the events is 52. Triathlete Magazine called the Tri-Cities race one of the best in North America and ranked it second in the western U.S.

“It’s one component of a multi-layered strategy,” Lewis told the Journal. “People came and got off the interstate and saw the riverfront for the first time. We had a lot of influencers come into town and talk about their experiences, our wine and more.”

And the Ironman race isn’t the only sports event on tap for 2025. The U.S. Tennis Association Pacific Northwest will have a 65 & over sectional championship in the Tri-Cities this year, along USA BMX’s Lumberjack Nationals. The Northwest Athletic Conference will have its volleyball championships here for the next two years.

Horseshoe pitchers will return to the Tri-Cities in 2027 for the National Horseshoe Pitchers Association world tournament, with is expected to have a $1 million economic impact.

Needed infrastructure

Growing the Tri-Cities’ draw for sports events requires having the facilities and infrastructure to support them.

“If we had 60,000 more square feet of convention space, there’s $36 million in business additionally available,” Lewis said.

The planned expansion of Three Rivers Convention Center could meet that need. The city of Kennewick, Kennewick Public Facilities District, and A1 Pearl Development Group are partnering on the project. They estimate that the expanded space will open in fall 2026.

HAPO Center plans are less concrete. Franklin County runs the facility but splits funding with the city of Pasco. A recently proposed master plan would require millions of dollars in improvements, as well as the city and county to agree on how to manage and pay for operations.