Vehicle-related events continue to be among the top tourism draws for Bowling Green, but sports-related activities also are becoming popular.

The Bowling Green Area Convention and Visitors Bureau board learned Monday that Buick Nationals will return to Bowling Green on May 12-16 and that Bowling Green will be the starting point for the Harley Owners Group motorcycle tour next summer.

In the sports arena, three basketball events are atop the calendar this winter, and in February the board will learn if it gets a senior PGA event, according to sports marketing director Amy Cardwell.

The Harley Owners Group last week confirmed its national and touring rally schedule, with Bowling Green being the departure city for its American Muscle Tour next summer. Participants in the July 14-19 tour will ride from Bowling Green to Milwaukee.

Stops will include the National Corvette Museum and the General Motors Bowling Green Assembly Plant before heading north. Sales marketing director Duncan Hines said about 1,000 participants are expected to be in Bowling Green for up to three days.

Hines said the Buick Nationals brings thousands of spectators for the nearly weeklong event, providing 1,000 motel nights for the county. The event at Beech Bend Park and Raceway is one of many other auto events that bring racers and spectators into the county.

The newest basketball event this winter will be Jan. 31 when the State Farm Shootout will be at Bowling Green High School.

The event will have five back-to-back games between squads from Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio. Teams from Henderson County, Louisville Male, Louisville Eastern, Murfreesboro Siegel from middle Tennessee, and Huber Heights Wayne from outside Dayton, Ohio, will travel to compete against Warren East, Franklin-Simpson, Allen County-Scottsville, Greenwood and Bowling Green, respectively.

Cardwell told the board that she continues to look to expand sporting opportunities for the area and plans to focus on getting other large special olympics events and other team events. She will learn in February whether Bowling Green’s Olde Stone will be a stop on the Senior PGA Tour.

“The first pitch is just four months away, so what are we doing to capitalize on that?” board member Larry Bailey asked of the baseball stadium where the minor league team Hot Rods will begin play in April.

Hines said he and other CVB staffers have had multiple meetings with Hot Rods officials. Hines said baseball games and outings can be offered as another event for conventions and meetings that come to town.

Bailey is interested in what is being done to develop the baseball stadium as an event arena for the days and nights baseball is not being played.

Cardwell said there is interest in hosting a large southern Gospel convention and other activities, but management has not yet developed a rental schedule.

Bailey, a former music promoter, said the potential use of the arena as an outdoor concert venue could help fill motel rooms in Bowling Green by drawing from a wide area.

Filling motel rooms is the chief concern of the board, many of whom are hoteliers. While all say that room rentals are down considerably, CVB Director Vicki Fitch said revenues aren’t down as much as might be expected. From July to October, room taxes are down about 2.5 percent. Still, Fitch is being cautious about the budget. She presented a revised budget that contains a projected revenue of the year 12 percent less than what was collected in the previous year.

The CVB also is being careful to not make any unnecessary expenses. The annual board Christmas party was held in the office, with the meal cooked by a staff member, Fitch said.