It is not surprising that many countries are competing to host international sporting events. Simultaneously, the tourism sector can also grow.
Sports events are an important factor in driving the tourism industry. When a big or prestigious sporting event is held somewhere, a lot of attention will be paid to tourism there.
Therefore, many countries are competing to host international sporting events. Reporting from the UNWTO page, the following is the impact of holding sporting events in an effort to encourage tourism growth.
What is Sports Tourism?
Sports tourism is BIG business. We all know that sports tourism involves sporting activities, this much goes without saying, but there is more than just sports gaming involved in this multi-million-dollar global industry. In this article we will explain what sports tourism is, we will tell you about the various types of sports tourism and we will discuss the benefits of sports tourism.
Sports tourism is the act of traveling from one place to another, with the aim of engaging in sporting activities or events.
Many people think that sports tourism is only related to watching sporting events. However, this is not true. The sports industry is more than that.
Sports tourism includes travel for your own sporting purposes, such as yoga teacher training courses, badminton competitions or learning to surf. Sports tourism includes attending sporting events such as Formula One races or Premier League football matches. Sports tourism includes nostalgic visits to historically important places, such as the Olympic stadium in Barcelona or viewing memorabilia related to your favorite sports heroes, such as the museum at the Maracana football stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
There are actually four main types of sports tourism. These types are known as:
Sports Event Tourism
Active Sports Tourism
Nostalgic Sports Tourism
Passive sports tourism
Although sports tourism has not always been so popular, over the last decade the number of people attending sporting events outside the area has increased drastically. People are now traveling great distances just to attend their favorite events, and it's no surprise what's driving the sudden surge in popularity.
Domestic and Foreign Tourist Visits Increase
One of the biggest influences of holding sporting events is the increase in the number of tourist visits. Not only domestic tourists but also foreign tourists want to witness the event directly.
Call it the Olympics, FIFA World Cup, Grand Slam or other events, these are sporting competitions that bring thousands to millions of tourists to the host destination. In some cases, this moment is accompanied by promotions to many tourist destinations.
For example, when the 2019 Rugby World Cup was held in Japan, many tourists came to watch the match and at the same time explore the natural beauty, culture and traditions of Japan. This certainly provides an opportunity for rarely visited destinations to gain international attention and improve the country's image as a tourist destination.
Large Economic Impact and Infrastructure Development
As the number of tourist visits increases, this will automatically have a large economic impact. Mainly in the accommodation, restaurant, transportation and other tourism services sectors. Tourist spending contributes to local income and economic growth.
In some cases, world sports competitions also encourage the development of new infrastructure, such as stadiums, hotels, roads and public transportation. This kind of investment provides long-term benefits for tourist destinations, improving the quality of tourist experiences and increasing tourism competitiveness in the future.
As during the 2014 FIFA World Cup which was held in Brazil. The country of Samba is experiencing a rapid increase in the tourism sector and the economy as a whole. Brazil is able to attract millions of tourists which has a positive impact on the country's economic growth. Then, create new jobs and further strengthen the tourism industry.
In addition, the stadiums built for the FIFA World Cup are still used continuously for other events.
Promotion of Tourist Destinations
Sports events are a very effective promotional platform for encouraging tourism growth. Tourism organizations and local governments can take advantage of this momentum to promote the advantages and attractiveness of destinations.
International media that covers it indirectly also helps provide wide exposure and exposure to interesting places, local culture and local uniqueness that were previously little known globally. The host's image is of course also increasing in the eyes of tourists who want to visit there.
Especially in the current digital era, the use of social media, live streaming and television coverage provide wider space for tourist destinations to be promoted to a global audience.
Thus, it is important for the government and tourism stakeholders to make sporting events an effective strategy for developing the local tourism industry and introducing tourist destinations to the global market.
It is clear that sports tourism is big business. Whether it is event sports tourism, active sports tourism, nostalgic sports tourism or passive sports tourism, there is a huge market for tourists all over the world. However, like other types of tourism, sports tourism must be managed carefully to ensure its sustainability.
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