Pasco County could soon be home to more ‘sports tourism’

NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. – On the heels of the wheelchair rugby tournament in Pasco County, Florida’s Sports Coast continues to grow and leaders want to expand into leisure sports and ecotourism.

“We thought it was widely successful. We brought in over 50 athletes across 30 teams to compete for four days of just grinding wheelchair rugby matches,” said Adam Thomas, the executive director of Florida Sports Coast.

Thomas said the U.S. Wheelchair Rugby Championship event was so successful that they’ve locked in the tournament again for next year, and they hope to bring more adaptive sports events to the area.

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They currently bring basketball, ice skating and more sporting events to their facilities while eyeing the unconventional.

“We look at unconventional sports that we don’t currently have on our portfolio, but also what Florida is also not hosting. So, we look at boomerang tossing. We look at futsal. We look at indoor facility sports that really can pay dividends to the overall growth of our tourism economy,” said Thomas.

But now they are looking to spotlight leisure sports and ecotourism along West Pasco’s waterways.

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“The estuaries really provide a visitor experience where they can get into the eco, natural Florida feel, just right in outside of a major metropolis in downtown Tampa,” said Thomas.

Pasco boating captains Mark Dillingham, owner of Inshore Adventures, and Curt Romanowski, owner of Florida Backwater Charters, encourage ecotourism for visitors. Both captains run fishing charters with their respective businesses in the county.

“That’s been a big interest. You know, we’ve got a great estuary up there. You’ve got 20 miles of shoreline in the county and a lot of mangrove shorelines, back areas. The fishery is really good,” Romanowski said.  “I think it’s a good idea. The more people who know about what Pasco County has as far as the ecosystem, you know, the wildlife that they’re in the water, we can educate them to do more… to not damage that area.”

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With about 1.5 million people visiting Pasco County every year, sharing what’s naturally special could keep paying off.

“Just recently, I just had a phone call from people that had just moved to the New Port Richey area and wanted to learn the area. They wanted to fish, but they also wanted to learn the area and kind of learn, like, the background of the area,” said Dillingham, adding that nature is abundant in the area with freshwater springs, estuaries, manatees and dolphins.  “As far as Pasco County, it is still the hidden gem.”

Florida Sports Coast leaders said they will work with Florida Fish and Wildlife and the Coastal Conservation Association to share a sustainable vision of Pasco County for the years to come.

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