sport tourism essay

Home — Essay Samples — Geography & Travel — Tourism — Sport Tourism

Sport Tourism

Categories: Tourism

About this sample

Words: 569 |

Published: Sep 20, 2018

Words: 569 | Page: 1 | 3 min read

What is economic impact of sport tourism?

subjective estimates, relying on primarily on expert judgment;
aggregate secondary data, involving adjusting comparable estimates;
disaggregate secondary data, allowing more in- depth adjustments to better suit the study focus; and
primary data- typically visitor surveys and formal economic models. However the key factor in determining the most appropriate step for economic impact calculation is primary and secondary data.

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Prof. Kifaru

Verified writer

Expert in: Geography & Travel

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

2 pages / 862 words

2 pages / 754 words

2 pages / 892 words

2 pages / 876 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Tourism

Dream Destination: Imagine your dream destination and describe it in vivid detail, explaining why you would choose to visit this particular place. Personal Goals and Interests: Discuss how your personal [...]

In summation, the adventure trip to Patagonia served as an embodiment of the transformative power of exploration. Beyond the picturesque landscapes and physical challenges, the journey offered a holistic experience that [...]

The United Kingdom has long been a popular destination for tourists from around the world, known for its rich history, diverse culture, and stunning landscapes. However, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 had a [...]

Preserving cultural heritage amidst expanding populations requires a multi-faceted approach that addresses the challenges posed by urbanization, tourism, sociocultural changes, and natural hazards. Legislative protection, public [...]

Paris is the capital city of France. With over 12 million inhabitants, it holds around 19% of France’s total population. Paris is most popularly known as the center of fashion. The city is also popular for its fine cuisine, art, [...]

Greece is more than what it seems. Have you ever thought that just maybe, even if it’s for a second that you could got to Greece. Thinking about it why wouldn’t you want to go there. Atlas once that sec on is over you think of [...]

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

Instructions Followed To The Letter
Deadlines Met At Every Stage
Unique And Plagiarism Free

What is sports tourism and why it is so big?

Disclaimer: Some posts on Tourism Teacher may contain affiliate links. If you appreciate this content, you can show your support by making a purchase through these links or by buying me a coffee . Thank you for your support!

Sports tourism is BIG business. We all know that sport tourism involves sporting activity, that much is pretty obvious, but there is much more than a game of sport involved in the multi million Dollar global industry. In this article I will explain what sports tourism is, I will tell you about the different types of sports tourism and I will discuss the benefits of sports tourism.

What is sports tourism?

Sports tourism definitions, sports tourism statistics, football world cup, six nations rugby championship, the olympics, the super bowl, calgary olympic park, maracana football stadium, rio de janiero, barcelona olympic park, tough mudder race, london, martial arts holidays, south korea, surfing holidays, portugal, golf tours, florida, yoga retreats, bali, football fans- manchester united spectators, boxing fans- anthony joshua followers, british & irish lions rugby spectators, australian cricket fans, benefits of sport tourism, sports tourism: conclusion, further reading on sports tourism.

Sports tourism is the act of travelling from one locality to another, with the intention of being in some way involved with a sporting activity or event .

Many people believe that sports tourism relates only to watching a sporting event. However, this is not correct. The sports industry is much more than this.

Sports tourism encompasses travelling for your own sporting purposes, such as a yoga teacher training course, a badminton competition or to learn to surf. Sports tourism includes attending sporting events such as a Formula One race or a Premiership football match. Sports tourism includes nostalgic visits to places of historical importance, such as the Olympic stadium in Barcelona or to see memorabilia related to your favourite sporting hero, such as the museum at the Maracana football stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

There are, in fact, four main types of sport tourism. These types are known as:

Sport Event Tourism
Active Sport Tourism
Nostalgia Sport Tourism

Passive sports tourism

While sports tourism has not always been extremely popular, during the recent decade the amount of people attending out of area sporting events has drastically increased. People are now traveling far and wide just to attend their favorite events, and it is no wonder as to what has encouraged the sudden spike in popularity.

Sport tourism is a relatively new concept, although it has been around for a long time.

There are many academic studies which delve into the concept of sports tourism, particularly sports tourism that involves large sporting events, such as the football World Cup or the Olympic Games. Some scholars and sports tourism stakeholders have attempted to define the term sports tourism.

According to Neirotti (2003), sports tourism can be broadly described as;

‘Including travel away from one’s primary residence to participate in sports activity, for recreation or competition purposes, travel to observe sport at grassroots or elite level, and travel to visit a sports attraction such as a sports museum, for instance’.

Weed and Bull (2004), provide a conceptualisation of the sports tourism phenomenon as;

‘A social, economic and cultural phenomenon arising from the unique interaction of activity, people and place’’.

Gammon and Robinson (2003) state that sports and tourism is;

‘Not just about the management and operation of mega events; it also concerns offering consumer-specific sports and tourism-related services and experiences to the sports tourist.’

Read also: Sustainable tourism- everything you need to know

Gammon and Robinson (2003) further argue that the sports tourism industry cannot be defined easily and that there should be different definitions according to the type of sports tourism that is being discussed. They visualise this in the model below.

Today, sport is regarded as the world’s largest social phenomenon. And, tourism is predicted to become the world’s biggest industry early in the next century. So it doesn’t take a genius to work out that sports tourism is pretty big business!

The sports tourism industry has grown considerably in recent years. In 2016 the sports tourism industry was worth $1.41 trillion and this figure is expected to increase to approximately $5.72 trillion by 2021. This is a whopping 41% growth in only four years!

**Studying sports tourism? I recommend- Sports Tourism: Participants, Policy and Providers **

The sports tourism industry makes up a significant part off the overall tourism industry. Some people claim that this figure is as high as 25%, meaning that a quarter of all tourism in the world is sports related!

The importance of sports tourism is further emphasised by the media statements from the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which in 2004, announced their commitment to reinforce their partnerships on collaboration in the sports and tourism domain. They stated that;

‘Tourism and sport are interrelated and complementary… both are powerful forces for development, stimulating investment in infrastructure projects such as airports, roads, stadiums, sporting complexes and restaurant-projects that can be enjoyed by the local population as well as tourists who come to use them.

This demonstrates that sports tourism has a wider economic and social impact than simply the sporting occasion itself. It provides social and economic opportunities for the local population , as well as visitors to the area.

The different types of sport tourism

Sport tourism can be segregated into four main types: sport event tourism, nostalgia sports tourism, active sports tourism and passive sports tourism. Below I have provided a short explanation of what each type of tourism is, along with some examples.

Sport event tourism

Sports event tourism is tourism which centres around a sporting event. Sporting events can be of any size and importance, however it tends to be the major sporting events which gain the most gravitas.

Hallmark events, such as the Olympics or football World Cup, are important centres for sport event tourism, bringing millions of tourists to the host destination.

Smaller events, such as the Henley Regatta in the United Kingdom or a national tennis competition also clarify as sport event tourism.

An often overlooked example of sport event tourism are amateur sporting events. Events such as regional school competitions, youth sporting leagues and non-profit community based sport events are just a few examples.

Wimbledon, also known as ‘The Championships’ is the oldest tennis tournament in the world. A prestigious sporting event, Wimbledon is often associated with the upper class, where spectators sip sparkling wine and Pimms whilst dressed in their best frocks.

Knowing very little about tennis, I attending Wimbledon a couple of years ago just to experience this famous event, which is an integral part off British heritage!

Dating back to 1877, Wimbledon has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, on the outskirts of London, each year. The tennis is played on outdoor grass courts, which is unlike tennis matches played in many other parts of the world.

Wimbledon is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the others being the Australian Open, the French Open and the US Open.

The tournament takes place in late June/early July each year.

silhouette of man playing golf during sunset

The football World Cup, known officially as the FIFA World Cup, is an international football tournament held every four years.

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) is the sport’s global governing body. The football consists of mens only teams and boats the most skilled footballers in the world.

Teams must first pass the qualification phase, which takes place over the preceding three years. After this, 32 teams, including the automatically qualifying host nation, compete in the tournament. The World Cup tournament generally lasts about one month.

The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition that takes place. It involves what are considered to be the six best nations in terms of rugby in Europe The six nations are:

The Six Nations tournament begins on the first weekend in February each year and finishes with ‘Super Saturday’ on the second or third Saturday in March.

Each team is required to play every other team once (making a total of 15 matches). Each team will play one match at home and one match away from home.

I attended a six nations match once and whilst I’m really not into rugby (surprise!), I really enjoyed the sophisticated and supportive atmosphere at the venue.

Inspired by the ancient Greeks, the modern Olympic Games have been running since 1896. But, in fact, the games have been played in some form or another since long before this date.

The Olympics is perhaps the most famous and the most popular international sporting event. It features both summer and winter sports competitions which take place every four years. Like many other major sporting events, the Olympics are held in a different location each time.

Read also: Slow tourism: Everything you need to know

The Olympics involves thousands of athletes from around the world who compete in a range of different sports, from trampolining to running. Over 200 nations participate in the event.

The Super Bowl is the annual championship of the National Football League (NFL). Based in the Unites States of America, this is the most popular sport tourism event of the year.

Some interesting facts include The Super Bowl being the second-largest day for food consumption in the USA (after Thanksgiving) and the Super Bowl being the most-watched American television broadcast of the year.

Nostalgia sports tourism

Nostalgia sport tourism involves travelling to famous sport-related tourist attractions.

Nostalgia sports tourism may celebrate sports of the past or the present. It may include visiting museums or exhibitions, visiting sporting hall of fames or visiting sporting venues.

The nostalgia sports tourist does not need to be actively participating in sport or to be spectating. They may simply want to learn more or to reminisce.

Here are some examples of popular nostalgia sport tourism attractions.

We visited Calgary Olympic Park on travels through Canada with a baby and loved it!

WinSport’s Canada Olympic Park (COP), (formerly known as Paskapoo Ski Hill) was one of the venues used in the 1988 Winter Olympics. Nowadays, it is open to the general public and iw well known for its ski jumping, bobsleigh and luge.

Whilst we did learn a little bit about the Olympics on our visit here, we actually sent more time on the luge ride than anything else because it was so much fun!

The Maracana is a famous football stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The stadium is rich in history and was once the largest stadium in the world.

The stadium was opened in 1950 to host the FIFA World Cup. The venue has seen attendances of 150,000 or more at 26 occasions. Over time terraces were replaced with seating, and after the renovation for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the Maracana’s original capacity was reduced to 78,838.

Nowadays, it is popular to take a tour to visit the Maracana stadium, like I did when I travelled to Buenos Aires with my friend who is football mad!

The Olympic Village, known in Spanish as La Vila Olímpica del Poblenou is an area in the Sant Martí district of Barcelona, Spain.

The Barcelona Olympic Village was built in the late 1980s and early 1990s in preparation for the 1992 Summer Olympic Games, which were held in Barcelona.

Nowadays, visiting the Barcelona Olympic Village is a popular sports tourism activity undertaken by many tourists visiting Barcelona.

Active sports tourism

Active sports tourism is when a person travels to actively participate in their chosen sport, or when they travel for other reasons, but taking part in sport is an important part of their tourism experience.

Active sports tourists can be segregated into three classifications: The amateur sports tourist; the hobbyist sports tourist and the professional sports tourist.

I would say that I would generally come under the first category. I am an amateur (at best!) at every sport I try my hand at. But, I still like to give it a go! I’ve attempted skiing in Argentina, kayaking in Vietnam and surfing in Costa Rica, to name but a few.

Read also: Business tourism: Everything you need to know

My husband, on the other hand, is usually either a hobbyist sports tourist or a professional sports tourist. He plays for badminton and football teams and loves playing a large number of sports in his free time. He is also a former athlete, having competed for Britain as a trampoline gymnast. As part of this role he travelled around the workload for professional sporting competitions. This qualified him as a professional sports tourist.

There are a large number of active sports that a tourist may choose to get involved with around the world. Here are a few that I have experienced on my travels. But there are sooo many other sports that you can get involved in as a sports tourist!

Diving in the Galapagos
Swimming at the Great Barrier Reef
Playing tennis in Morocco
Learning archery in Spain
Going running in France
Cycling in Amsterdam
Taking yoga classes in Bali
Learning tai chi in China
Kayaking in Vietnam
Sailing in Australia
Skiing in Argentina
Surfing in Costa Rica
Playing baseball in Boston
Hand gliding in Rio de Janeiro
Fishing in The Gambia
Climbing in Thailand
Horse riding in Equador
Walking in Jeju

Here are a few active sports tourism examples:

Did I ever tell you that I completed a Tough Mudder Race? This was a BIG achievement!

Tough Mudder is an endurance event. It is a an obstacle course, originally designed for army training. It is a test of the mind and body.

The race is usually between 10-12 miles in length. It includes a number of obstacles, many of which involve mud! The obstacles often play on common human fears, such as fire, water , electricity and heights.

**Buy now: Sport and Tourism – a recommended textbook for sports studies students!**

Common obstacles include:

Arctic Enema – Participants plunge into a tank filled with ice water, where they must swim under the water and past an obstacle to the other side.
Electroshock Therapy – This is where participants will run through a pit of mud where electric wires sway in the air. Participants will often get small electric shocks.
Funky Monkey – Monkey bars over a pit of cold water. The bars are covered with a mixture of butter and mud.
The birthing canal- A small, confined space that the participant must crawl through. The upper layer is filled with water so it feels like you are being compressed as you crawl through the tunnel.

Of course, you will need to travel to a Tough Mudder venue to be classified a sports tourism, but many people do!

Many people choose to travel to South Korea for martial arts holidays and Taekwondo-themed events. These might be amateur sports tourists, hobbyist sports tourists or professional sports tourists, depending on the level of involvement and activity type.

Portugal is a popular destination for surf holidays. You can go it alone, if you have the skills and ‘know-how’, or you can book a tour. There are a number of tour operator who offer specialised surfing holidays for all levels of sports tourists, ranging from beginner to advanced.

There are several golfing hotspots around the world. One of the most popular places to travel to for a golfing holiday is Florida . With its year-round pleasant weather and large open spaces, Florida welcomes golf tourists from all over the world to play on their first-class golf courses.

There are many parts of Asia that are known for the popularity of yoga. However, done attracts so many tourists as Bali. Bali is famous the world over for offering top quality yoga retreats and yoga teacher training courses.

Lastly, it is important to recognise that whilst sport is inherently active , not all those who participate or who are involved with the sport are themselves active. In fact, passive tourists can actually contribute more to the sport than those who are active!

A passive sports tourist is a person who is not actively participating in the sport. They are spectators or fans. Passive sports tourism involves tourists watching sport being played. This could take place at a major sporting event (qualifying this also as sports event tourism), or they could simply be supporting a family member of friend. Most passive sports tourists are fans.

Football, or soccer, is arguably the most well-known and popular sports in the world.

Manchester United is a particularly famous football club. It is estimated by the BBC that Manchester United has a whopping 659million football fans!

I always find is fascinating when I travel to a country that is so different and so far removed from my own, yet the locals are also quick to ask me about Manchester United!

Many sports tourists will follow Manchester United, or which ever football team is their favourite, around the world to watch their games.

Anthony Joshua is a British professional boxer. He has many millions of followers, both from the UK and abroad.

Anthony is a two-time unified heavyweight champion, having held the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO titles since December 2019, and previously between 2016 and June 2019. At regional level, he held the British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles from 2014 to 2016.

Anthony Joshua participates in fights around the world and is often accompanies by his passive sports tourism supporters.

The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for any of the Home Nations – the national teams of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

If rugby is your thing and your from Britain or Ireland, then this is a pretty big deal.

The Lions have many thousands of passive sports tourism supporters who cheat them on each match.

Cricket is pretty big in Australia. So big, in fact, that the Australian cricket team has an estimated 24million supporters! Many of these supporters travel with the team around the world as passive sports tourists.

As with any type of tourism , there are a range of benefits and advantages of sports tourism. Whilst the most obvious is perhaps the economic advantage of tourism , there are also positive social impacts as well as environmental impacts . Below I provide some examples:

Sports encourages tourists to visit the area
Sports tourism creates economic growth through tourists booking hotel rooms, eating in restaurants and opening money in local shops
Sports tourism helps to create exposure and enhances a positive image for the local community
Many sports tourism infrastructures and facilities can also be used by members of the host community
The development of sports tourism helps to build a sense of community
Sports tourism has the potential to attract high-yield visitors and repeat visitors
It can provide opportunity to develop new infrastructure in the area
The media can help to promote the destination
Sports tourism can improve overall tourist numbers
Money made from sports tourism can be reinvested into the local economy
Sports tourism creates jobs for local people
Sports tourism which relies on the natural environment may result in better environmental management and preservation

Whilst there are many positive impacts of sports tourism, however, it is also important that there are a number of negative impacts too. Aspects such as environmental degradation when gold courses, employing foreign rather than local people for major sporting events and locals who feel that their cultural norms are being overlooked (such as not covering your shoulders in the Middle East, for example), are just a few example of negative impacts of sports tourism.

It is clear that sports tourism is big business. Whether its events sports tourism, active sports tourism, nostalgic sports tourism or passive sports tourism, there is a huge market for tourists worldwide. However, as with any type of tourism, sports tourism must be carefully managed to ensure that it is sustainable .

For more information on sports tourism, I recommend the texts below;

Sports Tourism: Participants, Policy and Providers – explains sports tourism as a social, economic and cultural phenomenon that stems from the unique interaction of activity, people and place.
Sport Tourism Development – a text book covering the growth and development of sport tourism.
Sport Tourism Destinations: Issues and Analysis – with contributions from international experts, this book looks at the dramatic effects sports tourism has on the economy and future of tourism destinations.
Sport and Tourism – This book proposes a groundbreaking theoretical model which explores globalization, mobility and authenticity providing insight into the unique interrelationship that exists in a sport tourism context between activity, people and place.

Liked this article? Click to share!

Sports Tourism

Table of Contents

Introduction

Sports tourism is one of the fastest growing industries in the world because it involves individuals traveling in order to either observe of participate in sporting events. These individuals end up in a situation where they observe sports from outside their normal environment. Sports tourism, because of its rapid growth, has come to be put into different categories with the aim of ensuring that it is better studied. These include the following; hard and soft sport tourism, sports event tourism, active sport tourism, and nostalgia sports tourism. This paper seeks to develop an understanding of sports tourism connected to football in Britain through the perspectives of event, nostalgia, and active sport tourism.

Hard and soft sport tourism

Hard sport tourism refers to events that attract a large number of people who seek to watch competitive sports events. Among these are the Olympics, and the World Cup, which are some of the most famous sporting events in the world. Soft sport tourism, on the other hand, involves tourists signing up to take part in recreational sports or leisure sporting activities. Such sports as hiking and skiing can be described as soft sport tourism because these sports do not have the same competitive aspects as do others such as football (Higham and Hinch, 2002). Golf is one of the most common forms of soft sports tourism because it involves individuals who would like to play the sport in different golf courses in the world. These individuals seek to undertake the challenges that the unique golf courses have to offer, ensuring that they play in some of the highest ranked courses in the world. This is especially true of golf enthusiasts in the United States and Europe, who often enjoy checking off those golfing destinations that they have already visited.

Sport events tourism

Sport events tourism involves visitors who go to a destination in order to watch sporting events, with the most popular being the World Cup and the Olympics (Chalip and Costa, 2005). The latter are events that take place once every four years and because of their occurrence in different cities across the world, they are quite attractive to sports tourists. In countries such as the United States, there tends to be a focus on those sporting events that take place annually, such as the National Football League’s Super Bowl, which is held in different cities every year. A consequence of the rapid growth of the sport events tourism industry is that a considerable number of countries and cities seek to ensure that they become active participants through developing sporting events that will attract large numbers of tourists.

Sport events tourism is often based on appeal and this is especially the case with football fans that often travel to Britain in order to watch the main events of their favourite clubs (Deery et al., 2004). The screening of football events on television is one of the reasons why individuals end up following the English Premier League, and adopt teams. A result of this situation is that fans take the time to travel from all over the world so that they can experience their clubs’ games live. In addition, the large number of flight routes to Britain ensures that fans are able to travel easily to their favourite sporting destinations (Hognestad, 2006). British football is among the best in the world when compared to local leagues, whose standards tend to be much lower. A consequence is that a large number of individuals from all over the world follow British football because they feel that it gives them more sporting value than their local leagues. These individuals end up being encouraged to visit Britain to support their adopted clubs, especially during major tournaments or games, when they feel that it is important that they are present. Furthermore, Britain is a nice country to visit because it has some of the best tourist packages tailored to suit the needs of all the tourists that come specifically for sporting events. The large number of football tourists who come to Britain to attend their adopted club’s major games means that this country has ended up specializing at receiving these individuals and making them feel as comfortable as possible (Nash, 2000). The result is that more of such tourists choose to come to Britain not only for the games, but also to experience the friendly services that are provided by the hospitality sector.

Football events in Britain have become so popular that in recent years, there has been an increase in the demand for tickets by foreign fans. A result has been that some of these individuals, because of the high demand, have ended up buying tickets from season ticket holders, with some of the latter choosing to sell their tickets every week. The appeal of these events has led to an increase in ticket prices over the years to such an extent that local football fans have found themselves at a disadvantage (Hognestad, 2012). The higher ticket prices because of the demand from football tourists has reduced the number of local fans who attend major football events in Britain to such an extent that there has been an appeal to ensure that ticket prices are reduced to accommodate local demand. However, despite this setback for local fans, it has become the norm for football tourist to help fill British stadiums to almost full capacity. This is a positive outcome because it has ensured that clubs end up having an increase in revenue. In addition, sport tourists have also had an opportunity to ensure that they experience their favorite clubs on the field. This has created a situation where it has become fashionable for dedicated fans of the various clubs playing on the English Premier League to seek to attend events at least once or several times during their lifetime. The appeal has encouraged fans to make sure that they are able to see their favourite events in person rather than viewing them on television (Hognestad, 2012). It has also led to a considerable increase of sport tourism to Britain because fans of local clubs from all over the world are increasingly willing and are capable of travelling to major events involving their favourite clubs.

Nostalgia sport tourism

Nostalgia sports tourism involves individuals taking time to visit the sports halls of fame of their favourite sports. In addition, they also get to visit venues and meet sports personalities in such a way that gives them a first-hand experience in connecting them with their favourite sports. These visits tend to take place on a vacation basis, and they are often a part of the personal vacations individuals undertake rather than actually only seeking to visit sports venues alone (Higham and Hinch, 2002). This form of tourism often involves individuals seeking to be close to venues and items that are connected with the greatest moments of their favourite sports, or clubs’ history. Thus, fans of Manchester United football club might end up seeking to visit the venues that host the club’s trophies as well as its home stadium because of the sentimental or nostalgic attachment to them.

Dedicated fans of British football clubs tend to know a lot about their history, and the reasons behind their success. A result is that these individuals often seek to ensure that they experience their adopted clubs’ history for nostalgic purposes in addition to being in the presence of items and venues that are connected to the history. This is one of the reasons why tourism among football fans who desire to visit different football events, and venues connected to club history have become so popular in recent years (Nash, 2000). Clubs such as Manchester United and Arsenal are among the most popular among tourists, who often seek to imbibe their club histories and to confirm their connection to them. It is also because of their attractiveness that it has become possible for an increase in the number of tourists to increase in recent years, to such an extent that there has not only been an increase in revenue, but also growth in the local tourism sector (Szymanski, 1998). However, because of nostalgia sports tourism connected to football clubs, it has become an issue of concern among clubs and their local stakeholders to ensure that there is a balance between their local and international fans. This is especially considering that club histories were developed through the support of local fans, and it was only after the airing of matches on television that clubs became popular with an international fan base (Edensor and Millington, 2008). This concern has led to a situation where there have been appeals to ensure that ticket prices are reduced so that local fans can also have an opportunity to support their favorite clubs. Nostalgic tourists tend to be those that seek to ensure that they connect with the roots of their clubs in such a way that they seek to view trophies and view those places that they find most appealing in connection with these clubs.

However, most tourists who visit for nostalgic purposes are often individuals that are not interested in attending games. Instead, they prefer visiting the venues where their adopted clubs have had their most memorable moments. They also seek to meet their favourite personalities connected with the clubs, meaning that they do not have a negative effect on the overall balance of ticketing between local and international fans (Ramshaw and Gammon, 2005). Even those individuals who are not directly connected to or are not fans of British football clubs seeks to ensure that they are connected with the glory that comes with visiting sites associated with these clubs. A result is that a considerable number of tourists go to Britain in order to advance their knowledge concerning clubs while bat the same time seeking to prove to their peers back home that they have visited historical sporting sites and events. Manchester United has been able to achieve a global allure for fans and it has managed to do so through the advancement of its image as not only one of the most successful clubs in England, but also as one of its richest (Reimer, 2004). The achievement of this goal has been fundamental in making sure that there is a constant flow of tourists to Old Trafford. These individuals often visit this place because they would like to know about the club history. In addition, these individuals, who are often long-term fans of the club, often want to visit those places associated with the club and its greatest victories. Therefore, Old Trafford is one of the premier destinations for United fans who seek to ensure that they achieve a level of connection with this famous place that they will cherish for the rest of their lives (Reimer, 2004). Furthermore, some clubs that have suffered considerable decline over the years still manage to attract large numbers of tourists who come to visit for nostalgic reasons. Their dedication to their respective clubs goes beyond the defeats incurred, and is instead connected to the way that the clubs play in addition to their history. A considerable number of clubs continue to exert a magnetic emotional pull that attracts a large number of both domestic and international fans to such an extent that many of these individuals end up dedicating time and money to ensure that they experience visiting their favourite clubs. The also seek to be near stadia that have for a long time evoked considerable emotions among them as they are watching matches on television.

Active sport tourism

Active sport tourism refers to those individuals who seek to participate in different sorting events. These individuals travel from all over the world in order to experience specific sporting events in those venues where they are being held (Francis and Murphy, 2005). A consequence is that these individuals end up having personal experience of the different sports available at the time. For example, individuals might choose to participate in the various marathons that are held in different cities all over the world not only because of the competitive nature of these sports, but also for prestige, since they will have participated in prestigious tournaments. There are also instances when tourists take an active part in the events around a sport by joining other fans to cheer on their favorite teams on the field. This is especially the case with English football where individuals from all over the world come to attend matches.

Fans of various clubs in the English Premier League often dream of attending matches of their favourite clubs. This dream leads to a significant number of them saving up and travelling to Britain in order to make their dreams come true (Williams, 2006). The most significant period when fans come in large numbers to attend matches tend to be during major events such as the FA Cup among others. The result is that it has led to controversy because a large number of locals who would like to attend such matches in support of their clubs are not able to do so because of a hike in ticket prices. Foreign fans are often willing to spend more than their local counterparts on tickets meaning that they have an advantage over the latter (Gibson, 1998). The creation of avenues through which foreign fans can continue to spend their money on tickets while at the same time allowing for the advancement of the interests of local fans would be ideal in making sure that English football clubs satisfies all its fans. During periods where there are international matches in England, such as the UEFA Champions League, there are instances where foreign fans might come through to support their teams. The active support that they provide their teams in the stadium might sometimes end up creating a situation where nationalist feelings are evoked, creating a potential for violence. Therefore, while active sport tourism is very positive in most cases, there are instances where these tourists end up creating inconveniences for locals, as seen above in the case of ticketing as well as hooliganism. Football is the most popular game in the world, and it is only natural for fans to want to visit the places where their favorite clubs are located so that they can experience the environment and create memories as a result.

Sport tourism is one of the fastest growing industries in the world, and it encompasses the diverse sporting interests of fans all over the world. The discussion above has shown that individuals from all over the world undertake to make tours of their favourite sporting venues for a diverse number of reasons. Among these is to attend major sporting events, for reasons of nostalgia, as well as to either participate in the sport or cheer on their respective teams. The example of football in England has been used to demonstrate the diverse aspects of sports tourism, and to show the successes and controversies that have been brought about by the ever-increasing sports tourism to Britain. As it continues to grow the sports tourism industry needs to be studied in order to find out its prospects for the future as well as to ensure that while it benefits local economies, the interests of local fans are also protected.

Chalip, L. & Costa, C. A. 2005. Sport event tourism and the destination brand: Towards a general theory. Sport in Society, 8 , 218-237.
Deery, M., Jago, L. & Fredline, L. 2004. Sport tourism or event tourism: are they one and the same? Journal of Sport & Tourism, 9 , 235-245.
Edensor, T. & Millington, S. 2008. ‘This is Our City’: branding football and local embeddedness. Global Networks, 8 , 172-193.
Francis, S. & Murphy, P. 2005. Sport tourism destinations: the active sport tourist perspective. Sport tourism destinations , 73-92.
Gibson, H. J. 1998. Active sport tourism: who participates? Leisure studies, 17 , 155-170.
Higham, J. & Hinch, T. 2002. Tourism, sport and seasons: the challenges and potential of overcoming seasonality in the sport and tourism sectors. Tourism Management, 23 , 175-185.
Hognestad, H. K. 2006. Transnational passions: a statistical study of Norwegian football supporters. soccer & society, 7 , 439-462.
Hognestad, H. K. 2012. Split loyalties: Football is a community business. Soccer & Society, 13 , 377-391.
Nash, R. 2000. The sociology of English football in the 1990s: fandom, business and future research. Football Studies, 3 , 49-62.
Ramshaw, G. & Gammon, S. 2005. More than just nostalgia? Exploring the heritage/sport tourism nexus. Journal of Sport Tourism, 10 , 229-241.
Reimer, B. 2004. For the love of England-Scandinavian football supporters, Manchester United and British popular culture. Manchester United: A thematic study , 265-277.
Szymanski, S. 1998. Why is Manchester United so successful? Business Strategy Review, 9 , 47-54.
Williams, J. 2006. ‘Protect me from what I want’: Football fandom, celebrity cultures and ‘new’football in England. Soccer & Society, 7 , 96-114.

Search Menu
Browse content in Arts and Humanities
Browse content in Archaeology
Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Archaeology
Archaeological Methodology and Techniques
Archaeology by Region
Archaeology of Religion
Archaeology of Trade and Exchange
Biblical Archaeology
Contemporary and Public Archaeology
Environmental Archaeology
Historical Archaeology
History and Theory of Archaeology
Industrial Archaeology
Landscape Archaeology
Mortuary Archaeology
Prehistoric Archaeology
Underwater Archaeology
Urban Archaeology
Zooarchaeology
Browse content in Architecture
Architectural Structure and Design
History of Architecture
Residential and Domestic Buildings
Theory of Architecture
Browse content in Art
Art Subjects and Themes
History of Art
Industrial and Commercial Art
Theory of Art
Biographical Studies
Byzantine Studies
Browse content in Classical Studies
Classical History
Classical Philosophy
Classical Mythology
Classical Literature
Classical Reception
Classical Art and Architecture
Classical Oratory and Rhetoric
Greek and Roman Epigraphy
Greek and Roman Law
Greek and Roman Archaeology
Greek and Roman Papyrology
Late Antiquity
Religion in the Ancient World
Digital Humanities
Browse content in History
Colonialism and Imperialism
Diplomatic History
Environmental History
Genealogy, Heraldry, Names, and Honours
Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing
Historical Geography
History by Period
History of Agriculture
History of Education
History of Emotions
History of Gender and Sexuality
Industrial History
Intellectual History
International History
Labour History
Legal and Constitutional History
Local and Family History
Maritime History
Military History
National Liberation and Post-Colonialism
Oral History
Political History
Public History
Regional and National History
Revolutions and Rebellions
Slavery and Abolition of Slavery
Social and Cultural History
Theory, Methods, and Historiography
Urban History
World History
Browse content in Language Teaching and Learning
Language Learning (Specific Skills)
Language Teaching Theory and Methods
Browse content in Linguistics
Applied Linguistics
Cognitive Linguistics
Computational Linguistics
Forensic Linguistics
Grammar, Syntax and Morphology
Historical and Diachronic Linguistics
History of English
Language Acquisition
Language Variation
Language Families
Language Evolution
Language Reference
Lexicography
Linguistic Theories
Linguistic Typology
Linguistic Anthropology
Phonetics and Phonology
Psycholinguistics
Sociolinguistics
Translation and Interpretation
Writing Systems
Browse content in Literature
Bibliography
Children's Literature Studies
Literary Studies (Asian)
Literary Studies (European)
Literary Studies (Eco-criticism)
Literary Studies (Modernism)
Literary Studies (Romanticism)
Literary Studies (American)
Literary Studies - World
Literary Studies (1500 to 1800)
Literary Studies (19th Century)
Literary Studies (20th Century onwards)
Literary Studies (African American Literature)
Literary Studies (British and Irish)
Literary Studies (Early and Medieval)
Literary Studies (Fiction, Novelists, and Prose Writers)
Literary Studies (Gender Studies)
Literary Studies (Graphic Novels)
Literary Studies (History of the Book)
Literary Studies (Plays and Playwrights)
Literary Studies (Poetry and Poets)
Literary Studies (Postcolonial Literature)
Literary Studies (Queer Studies)
Literary Studies (Science Fiction)
Literary Studies (Travel Literature)
Literary Studies (War Literature)
Literary Studies (Women's Writing)
Literary Theory and Cultural Studies
Mythology and Folklore
Shakespeare Studies and Criticism
Browse content in Media Studies
Browse content in Music
Applied Music
Dance and Music
Ethics in Music
Ethnomusicology
Gender and Sexuality in Music
Medicine and Music
Music Cultures
Music and Religion
Music and Culture
Music and Media
Music Education and Pedagogy
Music Theory and Analysis
Musical Scores, Lyrics, and Libretti
Musical Structures, Styles, and Techniques
Musicology and Music History
Performance Practice and Studies
Race and Ethnicity in Music
Sound Studies
Browse content in Performing Arts
Browse content in Philosophy
Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art
Epistemology
Feminist Philosophy
History of Western Philosophy
Metaphysics
Moral Philosophy
Non-Western Philosophy
Philosophy of Science
Philosophy of Action
Philosophy of Law
Philosophy of Religion
Philosophy of Language
Philosophy of Mind
Philosophy of Perception
Philosophy of Mathematics and Logic
Practical Ethics
Social and Political Philosophy
Browse content in Religion
Biblical Studies
Christianity
East Asian Religions
History of Religion
Judaism and Jewish Studies
Qumran Studies
Religion and Education
Religion and Health
Religion and Politics
Religion and Science
Religion and Law
Religion and Art, Literature, and Music
Religious Studies
Browse content in Society and Culture
Cookery, Food, and Drink
Cultural Studies
Customs and Traditions
Ethical Issues and Debates
Hobbies, Games, Arts and Crafts
Lifestyle, Home, and Garden
Natural world, Country Life, and Pets
Popular Beliefs and Controversial Knowledge
Sports and Outdoor Recreation
Technology and Society
Travel and Holiday
Visual Culture
Browse content in Law
Arbitration
Browse content in Company and Commercial Law
Commercial Law
Company Law
Browse content in Comparative Law
Systems of Law
Competition Law
Browse content in Constitutional and Administrative Law
Government Powers
Judicial Review
Local Government Law
Military and Defence Law
Parliamentary and Legislative Practice
Construction Law
Contract Law
Browse content in Criminal Law
Criminal Procedure
Criminal Evidence Law
Sentencing and Punishment
Employment and Labour Law
Environment and Energy Law
Browse content in Financial Law
Banking Law
Insolvency Law
History of Law
Human Rights and Immigration
Intellectual Property Law
Browse content in International Law
Private International Law and Conflict of Laws
Public International Law
IT and Communications Law
Jurisprudence and Philosophy of Law
Law and Politics
Law and Society
Browse content in Legal System and Practice
Courts and Procedure
Legal Skills and Practice
Primary Sources of Law
Regulation of Legal Profession
Medical and Healthcare Law
Browse content in Policing
Criminal Investigation and Detection
Police and Security Services
Police Procedure and Law
Police Regional Planning
Browse content in Property Law
Personal Property Law
Study and Revision
Terrorism and National Security Law
Browse content in Trusts Law
Wills and Probate or Succession
Browse content in Medicine and Health
Browse content in Allied Health Professions
Arts Therapies
Clinical Science
Dietetics and Nutrition
Occupational Therapy
Operating Department Practice
Physiotherapy
Radiography
Speech and Language Therapy
Browse content in Anaesthetics
General Anaesthesia
Neuroanaesthesia
Browse content in Clinical Medicine
Acute Medicine
Cardiovascular Medicine
Clinical Genetics
Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics
Dermatology
Endocrinology and Diabetes
Gastroenterology
Genito-urinary Medicine
Geriatric Medicine
Infectious Diseases
Medical Oncology
Medical Toxicology
Pain Medicine
Palliative Medicine
Rehabilitation Medicine
Respiratory Medicine and Pulmonology
Rheumatology
Sleep Medicine
Sports and Exercise Medicine
Clinical Neuroscience
Community Medical Services
Critical Care
Emergency Medicine
Forensic Medicine
Haematology
History of Medicine
Browse content in Medical Dentistry
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Paediatric Dentistry
Restorative Dentistry and Orthodontics
Surgical Dentistry
Medical Ethics
Browse content in Medical Skills
Clinical Skills
Communication Skills
Nursing Skills
Surgical Skills
Medical Statistics and Methodology
Browse content in Neurology
Clinical Neurophysiology
Neuropathology
Nursing Studies
Browse content in Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Gynaecology
Occupational Medicine
Ophthalmology
Otolaryngology (ENT)
Browse content in Paediatrics
Neonatology
Browse content in Pathology
Chemical Pathology
Clinical Cytogenetics and Molecular Genetics
Histopathology
Medical Microbiology and Virology
Patient Education and Information
Browse content in Pharmacology
Psychopharmacology
Browse content in Popular Health
Caring for Others
Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Self-help and Personal Development
Browse content in Preclinical Medicine
Cell Biology
Molecular Biology and Genetics
Reproduction, Growth and Development
Primary Care
Professional Development in Medicine
Browse content in Psychiatry
Addiction Medicine
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Forensic Psychiatry
Learning Disabilities
Old Age Psychiatry
Psychotherapy
Browse content in Public Health and Epidemiology
Epidemiology
Public Health
Browse content in Radiology
Clinical Radiology
Interventional Radiology
Nuclear Medicine
Radiation Oncology
Reproductive Medicine
Browse content in Surgery
Cardiothoracic Surgery
Gastro-intestinal and Colorectal Surgery
General Surgery
Neurosurgery
Paediatric Surgery
Peri-operative Care
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Surgical Oncology
Transplant Surgery
Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery
Vascular Surgery
Browse content in Science and Mathematics
Browse content in Biological Sciences
Aquatic Biology
Biochemistry
Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
Developmental Biology
Ecology and Conservation
Evolutionary Biology
Genetics and Genomics
Microbiology
Molecular and Cell Biology
Natural History
Plant Sciences and Forestry
Research Methods in Life Sciences
Structural Biology
Systems Biology
Zoology and Animal Sciences
Browse content in Chemistry
Analytical Chemistry
Computational Chemistry
Crystallography
Environmental Chemistry
Industrial Chemistry
Inorganic Chemistry
Materials Chemistry
Medicinal Chemistry
Mineralogy and Gems
Organic Chemistry
Physical Chemistry
Polymer Chemistry
Study and Communication Skills in Chemistry
Theoretical Chemistry
Browse content in Computer Science
Artificial Intelligence
Computer Architecture and Logic Design
Game Studies
Human-Computer Interaction
Mathematical Theory of Computation
Programming Languages
Software Engineering
Systems Analysis and Design
Virtual Reality
Browse content in Computing
Business Applications
Computer Security
Computer Games
Computer Networking and Communications
Digital Lifestyle
Graphical and Digital Media Applications
Operating Systems
Browse content in Earth Sciences and Geography
Atmospheric Sciences
Environmental Geography
Geology and the Lithosphere
Maps and Map-making
Meteorology and Climatology
Oceanography and Hydrology
Palaeontology
Physical Geography and Topography
Regional Geography
Soil Science
Urban Geography
Browse content in Engineering and Technology
Agriculture and Farming
Biological Engineering
Civil Engineering, Surveying, and Building
Electronics and Communications Engineering
Energy Technology
Engineering (General)
Environmental Science, Engineering, and Technology
History of Engineering and Technology
Mechanical Engineering and Materials
Technology of Industrial Chemistry
Transport Technology and Trades
Browse content in Environmental Science
Applied Ecology (Environmental Science)
Conservation of the Environment (Environmental Science)
Environmental Sustainability
Environmentalist Thought and Ideology (Environmental Science)
Management of Land and Natural Resources (Environmental Science)
Natural Disasters (Environmental Science)
Nuclear Issues (Environmental Science)
Pollution and Threats to the Environment (Environmental Science)
Social Impact of Environmental Issues (Environmental Science)
History of Science and Technology
Browse content in Materials Science
Ceramics and Glasses
Composite Materials
Metals, Alloying, and Corrosion
Nanotechnology
Browse content in Mathematics
Applied Mathematics
Biomathematics and Statistics
History of Mathematics
Mathematical Education
Mathematical Finance
Mathematical Analysis
Numerical and Computational Mathematics
Probability and Statistics
Pure Mathematics
Browse content in Neuroscience
Cognition and Behavioural Neuroscience
Development of the Nervous System
Disorders of the Nervous System
History of Neuroscience
Invertebrate Neurobiology
Molecular and Cellular Systems
Neuroendocrinology and Autonomic Nervous System
Neuroscientific Techniques
Sensory and Motor Systems
Browse content in Physics
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics
Biological and Medical Physics
Classical Mechanics
Computational Physics
Condensed Matter Physics
Electromagnetism, Optics, and Acoustics
History of Physics
Mathematical and Statistical Physics
Measurement Science
Nuclear Physics
Particles and Fields
Plasma Physics
Quantum Physics
Relativity and Gravitation
Semiconductor and Mesoscopic Physics
Browse content in Psychology
Affective Sciences
Clinical Psychology
Cognitive Neuroscience
Cognitive Psychology
Criminal and Forensic Psychology
Developmental Psychology
Educational Psychology
Evolutionary Psychology
Health Psychology
History and Systems in Psychology
Music Psychology
Neuropsychology
Organizational Psychology
Psychological Assessment and Testing
Psychology of Human-Technology Interaction
Psychology Professional Development and Training
Research Methods in Psychology
Social Psychology
Browse content in Social Sciences
Browse content in Anthropology
Anthropology of Religion
Human Evolution
Medical Anthropology
Physical Anthropology
Regional Anthropology
Social and Cultural Anthropology
Theory and Practice of Anthropology
Browse content in Business and Management
Business Strategy
Business History
Business Ethics
Business and Government
Business and Technology
Business and the Environment
Comparative Management
Corporate Governance
Corporate Social Responsibility
Entrepreneurship
Health Management
Human Resource Management
Industrial and Employment Relations
Industry Studies
Information and Communication Technologies
International Business
Knowledge Management
Management and Management Techniques
Operations Management
Organizational Theory and Behaviour
Pensions and Pension Management
Public and Nonprofit Management
Strategic Management
Supply Chain Management
Browse content in Criminology and Criminal Justice
Criminal Justice
Criminology
Forms of Crime
International and Comparative Criminology
Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice
Development Studies
Browse content in Economics
Agricultural, Environmental, and Natural Resource Economics
Asian Economics
Behavioural Finance
Behavioural Economics and Neuroeconomics
Econometrics and Mathematical Economics
Economic Systems
Economic Methodology
Economic History
Economic Development and Growth
Financial Markets
Financial Institutions and Services
General Economics and Teaching
Health, Education, and Welfare
History of Economic Thought
International Economics
Labour and Demographic Economics
Law and Economics
Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics
Microeconomics
Public Economics
Urban, Rural, and Regional Economics
Welfare Economics
Browse content in Education
Adult Education and Continuous Learning
Care and Counselling of Students
Early Childhood and Elementary Education
Educational Equipment and Technology
Educational Strategies and Policy
Higher and Further Education
Organization and Management of Education
Philosophy and Theory of Education
Schools Studies
Secondary Education
Teaching of a Specific Subject
Teaching of Specific Groups and Special Educational Needs
Teaching Skills and Techniques
Browse content in Environment
Applied Ecology (Social Science)
Climate Change
Conservation of the Environment (Social Science)
Environmentalist Thought and Ideology (Social Science)
Natural Disasters (Environment)
Social Impact of Environmental Issues (Social Science)
Browse content in Human Geography
Cultural Geography
Economic Geography
Political Geography
Browse content in Interdisciplinary Studies
Communication Studies
Museums, Libraries, and Information Sciences
Browse content in Politics
African Politics
Asian Politics
Chinese Politics
Comparative Politics
Conflict Politics
Elections and Electoral Studies
Environmental Politics
European Union
Foreign Policy
Gender and Politics
Human Rights and Politics
Indian Politics
International Relations
International Organization (Politics)
International Political Economy
Irish Politics
Latin American Politics
Middle Eastern Politics
Political Methodology
Political Communication
Political Philosophy
Political Sociology
Political Theory
Political Behaviour
Political Economy
Political Institutions
Politics and Law
Public Administration
Public Policy
Quantitative Political Methodology
Regional Political Studies
Russian Politics
Security Studies
State and Local Government
UK Politics
US Politics
Browse content in Regional and Area Studies
African Studies
Asian Studies
East Asian Studies
Japanese Studies
Latin American Studies
Middle Eastern Studies
Native American Studies
Scottish Studies
Browse content in Research and Information
Research Methods
Browse content in Social Work
Addictions and Substance Misuse
Adoption and Fostering
Care of the Elderly
Child and Adolescent Social Work
Couple and Family Social Work
Developmental and Physical Disabilities Social Work
Direct Practice and Clinical Social Work
Emergency Services
Human Behaviour and the Social Environment
International and Global Issues in Social Work
Mental and Behavioural Health
Social Justice and Human Rights
Social Policy and Advocacy
Social Work and Crime and Justice
Social Work Macro Practice
Social Work Practice Settings
Social Work Research and Evidence-based Practice
Welfare and Benefit Systems
Browse content in Sociology
Childhood Studies
Community Development
Comparative and Historical Sociology
Economic Sociology
Gender and Sexuality
Gerontology and Ageing
Health, Illness, and Medicine
Marriage and the Family
Migration Studies
Occupations, Professions, and Work
Organizations
Population and Demography
Race and Ethnicity
Social Theory
Social Movements and Social Change
Social Research and Statistics
Social Stratification, Inequality, and Mobility
Sociology of Religion
Sociology of Education
Sport and Leisure
Urban and Rural Studies
Browse content in Warfare and Defence
Defence Strategy, Planning, and Research
Land Forces and Warfare
Military Administration
Military Life and Institutions
Naval Forces and Warfare
Other Warfare and Defence Issues
Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution
Weapons and Equipment

The Oxford Handbook of Sport and Society

< Previous chapter
Next chapter >

19 Sport, Tourism, and Social Impacts

Heather J. Gibson is a professor of tourism at the University of Florida. Her work cuts across the fields of leisure, tourism, and sport, with a focus on understanding behavioral choices in the context of gender, life span, and well-being. She authored some of the seminal papers in sport tourism and incorporated her focus on women and mid- and later life into the study of active sport tourism. She is a former managing editor of Leisure Studies and is an associate editor for the Annals of Tourism Research and the Journal of Sport & Tourism, among others.

Sheranne Fairley is an associate professor in the School of Business at the University of Queensland. Fairley’s research focuses on three major streams: sport and event tourism, volunteerism, and the globalization of sport. Her books include Rebranding and Positioning Australian Rules Football in the American Market (2009) and Renegotiating the Shanghai Formula One Event (2009, with K. D’Elia). She is editor-in-chief of the research journal Sport Management Review .

Published: 21 September 2022
Cite Icon Cite
Permissions Icon Permissions

Scholarship in sport tourism began to gather speed in the late 1990s. Initially attention was on defining sport tourism and the economic impact of sport events. Calls to move scholarship from largely descriptive case studies to a theoretically informed body of work manifested in various ways. This chapter chronicles some of the developments in sport tourism scholarship over the past 20 years, with a focus on legacy and leveraging, social impacts, and small-scale events. In so doing, topics such as event portfolios, social capital, youth sport, and the impact of COVID-19 are discussed. The growth of event management as a discipline is examined in terms of its impact on sport tourism going forward. The authors note the touristic dimension in sport event research has often been missing or downplayed in recent studies, which raises questions about the long-term viability of sport tourism as an area of study.

As tourism became increasingly specialized in the 1990s, there was a growing recognition about travel associated with sport. Initially, when a group of scholars began to focus on sport tourism as an area of study, there was much debate around the definition of “sport tourism” (e.g., Gibson, 1998b ; Higham & Hinch, 2002 ; Weed & Bull, 2004 ). Through the years we have reached somewhat of a consensus that sport tourism breaks down into three main types: (1) travel to actively participate in sport, (2) travel to spectate at a sport event, and (3) travel related to nostalgia. The third form of sport tourism has always received less attention and has also been the most contested (e.g., Ramshaw & Gammon, 2005 ). Yet a quick review of the literature shows that there is an active group of scholars who have coalesced around this nostalgia/heritage sport tourism focus (e.g., Cho, Ramshaw, & Norman, 2014 ; Fairley, 2003 ; Ramshaw, 2020 ; Ramshaw & Gammon, 2005 ).

The first decade of sport tourism–related scholarship gave rise to two issues which are relevant to this chapter. The first was a focus on economic impact, primarily of sport tourism events (e.g., Daniels & Norman, 2003 ; Turco, 1998 ). This focus was not surprising, as communities were starting to use sport tourism as an economic development tool in the late 1990s, and many of these studies were commissioned by tourism agencies and emerging sports commissions. The second issue was a critique about the overly descriptive, atheoretical nature of early work (e.g., Gibson, 2004 ; Weed, 2006 ). However, the focus on description at this stage was not unexpected since the state of knowledge necessitated delimiting the area of study and conceptualizing and describing what comprised sport tourism. However, if, as sport tourism scholars, we were to move forward in developing this emerging area of study located at the intersection of sport management, tourism management, and leisure studies (this was the home to some of the early publications and themed conferences; cf. Gammon & Kurtzman, 2002 ), we needed to move into the next phase of knowledge development: understanding the how and the why ( Gibson, 2004 ).

At this stage we had not actively incorporated event management scholarship into this intersection. While Getz (1998) had written a paper on sport tourism in the event management context, event management had not penetrated sport and tourism management to the extent it has today. In fact, as we noted earlier, while our spectator sport tourists were called “event sport tourists” ( Gibson, 1998b ) in our early work, and while we were often researching sport tourism in event-related contexts (e.g., Higham & Hinch, 2002 , 2001 ; Ryan & Lockyer, 2002 ), the event was not the main focus. Today we have seen a definite shift in the prominence of the event context. This shift has been so extensive that the focus on sport tourism has been somewhat subsumed by the focus on sport events ( Gibson, 2017 ). Indeed, some may question the viability of this area of study going forward. Yet, at the same time, we can point to a resurgence of interest from practitioners and the industry, particularly in niche areas of sport tourism such as youth sports. Also evident is a growing interest among academics throughout Asia, particularly in China and Japan ( Dong, 2020 ; Hinch & Ito, 2018 ). As authors of this chapter, in reflecting back as well as projecting into the future, we are provided with an opportunity to examine some of the most significant developments in sport tourism research which helped to counter the early critiques of being atheoretical.

Responses to the critiques about lack of theory and being overly descriptive, as well as the focus on economic impacts, led us in two directions. First was the identification of appropriate concepts and theories that might enhance the explanatory power of sport tourism–related work to help us build a body of work that was sequential and could push our understanding forward. Weed (2006) , drawing upon Forscher’s (1963) classic treatise on “chaos in the brickyard,” challenged us to move beyond the individual case study approach to work toward building a cohesive body of knowledge about sport tourism. Gibson’s (2006) edited book, Sport Tourism Concepts and Theories, provided a compendium of potential theories that might be used to frame our work. Certainly, in the research on the active sport tourist there is evidence that scholars did heed the call to frame their work in appropriate theories. For example, Kaplanidou and Vogt (2007) used the Theory of Planned Behavior to understand participants in a cycling event. The concepts of involvement and enduring involvement, which have a long history in leisure studies, were applied to understand participation in Master’s Games ( Ryan & Lockyer, 2002 ) and travel to take part in running events ( McGehee, Yoon, & Cardenas, 2003 ), and were combined with a benefits-sought framework to investigate cycle tourists ( Gibson & Chang, 2012 ). A constraints framework, again from leisure studies, has been a popular approach to understanding participation patterns in snow sports ( Hudson, 2000 ; Williams & Fidgeon, 2000 ) and surfing tourism among women ( Fendt & Wilson, 2012 ), as has using serious leisure (Stebbins, 1982) to examine commitment and experiences in active sport tourism contexts (e.g., Shipway & Jones, 2007 ). Lamont, Kennelly, and Wilson (2012) added the idea that active sport tourists not only negotiate but prioritize constraints on their participation; they examined this within the event travel career framework proposed by Getz (2008) . Getz combined serious leisure (Stebbins, 1982) , Pearce’s (1998) travel career, and Unruh’s (1979) social worlds to develop the event travel career framework, which has spawned a series of studies on running ( Getz & Anderson, 2010 ) and mountain biking ( Getz & McConnell, 2011 ). Buning and Gibson (2015) proposed some further developments to what they called the active sport event travel career in their study of cycling within a U.S. context by providing more detail on career development and how this intersected with the events in which these cyclists chose to participate. Recently, Aicher, Buning, and Newland (2020) put more focus on the social worlds aspect of the active sport event travel career among runners and found that degree of immersion in the running social world shapes not only event participation but also related tourism behaviors.

These are only some of the conceptual approaches that have been used by researchers on active sport tourism; the application of these various frameworks has provided some unique insights into how and why active sport tourists participate in their various sports. More important, we have seen a shift in focus to understand the meanings and benefits that such participation has for these individuals, notably with a recent focus on the well-being associated with participation in active sport tourism ( Mirehie & Gibson, 2020 ). However, some notable gaps remain, particularly in that much of the focus on active sport tourism has not interrogated the sociostructural issues associated with participation, such as gender, race, and class ( Gibson & Mirehie, 2018 ). Active sport tourism is still mainly experienced by white, middle-class, and predominantly male participants, as was evident over 20 years ago, when some of the first papers were written ( Bordelon & Ferreira, 2019 ; Gibson, 1998a ). Another issue of importance is that there are few current researchers focusing on active sport tourism. This was evident in editing a special issue of the Journal of Sport & Tourism, where it took several rounds of the call for papers to attract a sufficient number of submissions ( Gibson, Lamont, Kennelly, & Buning, 2018 ). Of course, some of this can be attributed to researchers being pushed to publish in higher-impact journals, but the sister special issue “Sport Tourism and Sustainable Destinations” ( Hinch, Higham, & Moyle, 2016 ), for example, attracted enough papers for two issues. In delving more deeply into this topic, it is evident from the recent literature that there are an increasing number of studies on sport participation and also a growing focus on understanding the whys and hows of participation and links to health and well-being (e.g., Mirehie & Gibson, 2020 ). However, more troubling for sport tourism, is that many of these projects have ignored the touristic aspects of participation (e.g., Raggiotto & Scarpi, 2020 ), when we know that the very act of traveling not only contributes to well-being (e.g., Smith & Diekmann, 2017 ) but is part of the reason people take part in these events. So perhaps one pressing issue is that participation in event contexts may not be conceptualized and understood to its full extent without a focus on the touristic components of the experience.

As we reflect back on the original event sport tourism category, where the focus was on the hosting of events and spectators traveling to them, we can see that much research about the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games acted as a catalyst for the expansion of different disciplinary approaches to study sport tourism and events. The work of the Cooperative Research Center for Sustainable Tourism’s Sydney Olympics Tourism Impacts Study is a source of much of the work that we see today on leveraging and flow-on tourism (see Faulkner et al., 2001 ). The application of concepts from marketing and the call to reconceptualize our thinking away from impact to leveraging ( Chalip, 2004 ; Faulkner et al., 2001 ) were significant shifts in the way we think about events, and will be explored in more depth below. Additionally, in a project funded by the Australian Research Council, Green (2001) applied concepts from anthropology and proposed a sociocultural approach to understanding volunteering associated with Sydney 2000, at a time when much of the existing work was focused on volunteer motivation (e.g., Farrell, Johnston, & Twynam, 1998 ). Following the long tradition of focusing on resident responses to tourism, Waitt’s (2003) study on the sociological and social-psychological impacts of hosting the Olympics on Sydney residents reflected not only the growing focus on the social impacts of event hosting that were beginning to emerge at the time but also growing concerns from sociologists and others about the legacy of hosting these sport mega-events (e.g., Cashman, 2003 ; Preuss, 2007 ).

Within research on nostalgia sport tourism, the big issue has always been the legitimacy of this form of sport tourism ( Ramshaw & Gammon, 2005 ; Weed & Bull, 2004 ). The original conception of nostalgia sport tourism emanated out of Redmond’s (1991) work and was used to describe sport-related travel associated with visiting museums, sport halls of fame, stadium tours, and other sport-themed tourism ( Gibson, 1998b ). Fairley (2003) broadened this definition and noted that the nostalgia around sport tourism could be based on social experience rather than event or sport memory. Ramshaw and Gammon (2005) have suggested that nostalgia sport tourism is a form of heritage tourism and should be conceptualized as such. While this debate is not settled, scholars continue to work in this area and produce theoretically informed work pushing the boundaries of our knowledge on nostalgia. One such trend is to move beyond a focus on nostalgia relating to famous stadia or sports halls of fame to consider intangible forms of nostalgia such as the social experiences among longtime fans of a particular team or memories of significant sporting triumphs or losses as social nostalgia ( Fairley, 2003 ; Fairley, Gibson, & Lamont, 2018 ). Several key papers explore the idea that nostalgia is multidimensional, and we can see that, for the participants of these studies, nostalgia is linked to multiple attachments, such as family and identity ( Cho et al., 2014 ; Fairley et al., 2018 ). Indeed, as nostalgia gained prominence in the COVID-19 era, Gammon and Ramshaw (2020) suggested that nostalgia might be a coping mechanism people use to deal with changes in everyday life, such as stay-at-home orders enacted by many countries during spring 2020. Closer still to sport tourism, Weed (2020) mentions nostalgia as one of the key concepts in understanding the effects on and potentially the reshaping of sport and tourism in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

With much of the contemporary focus on sport tourism residing largely within event contexts, we will devote this part of our chapter to a more in-depth focus on the conceptual approaches that have predominated in the sport-event tourism domain: (1) legacy versus leverage, (2) social impacts and social legacies, and (3) small-scale sport tourism events.

Legacy or Leverage?

Events are believed to provide benefits to destinations; however, research has suggested that these benefits do not occur as a matter of course ( Brown, Chalip, Jago, & Mules, 2002 ; Chalip, 2004 , 2006 ; Chalip & Leyns, 2002 ; O’Brien & Chalip, 2007 ). Economic impact studies provide mixed results ( Gratton, Dobson, & Shibli, 2000 ; Mules, 1998 ). Given the significant public investment in events like the Olympic Games, and rising questions about whether such events actually produce the touted benefits ( Maennig, 2007 ), scholars turned to event legacy. Event legacy focuses on long-term impacts from events ( Preuss, 2007 ). Specifically, Preuss defined legacy as “all planned and unplanned, positive and negative, tangible and intangible structures created for and by a sport event that remain longer than the event itself” (p. 211). Many potential types of legacies have been identified, including infrastructure, knowledge, policy, networks, sport, social capital, and environmental impacts ( Dickson, Benson, & Blackman, 2011 ; Preuss, 2015 ; Swart & Bob, 2012 ). Legacy assessments have been mixed; for example, Swart and Bob listed 33 positive and 39 negative legacies.

The International Olympic Committee included legacy in its charter in 2003, and since then potential host cities must detail a legacy plan in their bid documents ( Leopkey & Parent, 2012 ). Leopkey and Parent noted that while the first mention of legacy was found in the bid documents for the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games, the 2000s saw a significant increased focus on legacy effects among candidate cities. However, as Chalip and Heere (2013) suggest, host governments and event owners often use a narrative of legacy to legitimate significant public expenditures on sport events with little attention given to measurement and accountability. Indeed, basic questions arise about how and when one should assess whether a legacy has occurred. Further, many questions about who should be held accountable for legacy benefits remain unanswered. Most typically, public funds are spent before and during the event. Most committees formed to host events disband at their conclusion, and the stakeholders in the community responsible for making claims about the impacts and legacies of the events have often moved on to different roles by the time legacy is discussed and examined. As a consequence, legacy is often criticized as being mere rhetoric ( Tomlinson, 2014 ). In contrast, Chalip (2004) advocates for the use of an ex ante approach known as event leveraging, rather than the ex post approach that is legacy. Event leveraging focuses on strategic planning, views the event as the “seed capital,” and asks what a destination can do with an event to generate desired benefits ( O’Brien & Chalip, 2007 ). Chalip (2017 , p. 29) makes a good case that leveraging is of more use than legacy “because it focuses on strategic processes, rather than categories of outcome, and can thereby be applied across disparate contexts.”

Chalip’s (2004) original event leveraging model suggests that destination stakeholders can capitalize on the hosting of an event by strategically planning to capitalize immediate benefits from event visitors and trade, to entice visitor spending, lengthen visitor stays, and enhance business relationships. Further, destinations can use the opportunity to generate long-term benefits by utilizing the event-related media to showcase the destination and enhance its image. The leveraging framework includes identifying a leverageable resource, identifying the opportunities, creating strategic objectives from the opportunity, and developing means to achieve the objectives ( Chalip, 2004 ). Research on event leveraging has highlighted the need to consider culture, attitudes and beliefs, and systems and structures ( Chalip, Green, Taks, & Misener, 2017 ). Constraints and barriers to destinations leveraging events should also be considered; for example, host city contracts that involve commitments to global suppliers may prevent local businesses and tourism organizations from maximizing the value of the event to the local population ( Kelly, Fairley, & O’Brien, 2019 ).

Alternatively, an event portfolio approach, which is itself a leveraging strategy, changes the focus from singular events to a holistic and synergistic view of events at a destination ( Chalip, 2004 ; Getz, 2008 ; Ziakas, 2010 ). Specifically, event portfolios are based on “a series of interrelated events in terms of resources, theming, and markets which are strategically patterned on the basis of their operation and thematic readiness” ( Ziakas, 2014 , p. 329). The event portfolio facilitates the sharing of resources, collaborations, and cross-leveraging opportunities to achieve tourism outcomes ( Ziakas & Costa, 2011 ), while often considering the diversity of events, seasonality, and timing in selecting events ( Clark & Misener, 2015 ; Kelly & Fairley, 2018a ). The portfolio approach provides a balanced approach and opportunities for smaller events that may otherwise be overlooked ( Getz, 2008 ). Some destinations, however, may be dominated by one genre of event, such as sport events, as is the case of the Sunshine Coast, Australia. Benefits from event portfolios are maximized only when strategic leveraging takes place ( Kelly & Fairley, 2018a ). The Sunshine Coast has one of the most recognized examples of this approach. As part of their strategic approach to leveraging their event portfolio, the Sunshine Coast has an established Events Board (with tourism, events, and government organizations represented) and an event strategy that outlines clear strategic goals. Guided by their event strategy, the Events Board provides advice to tourism and government organizations that direct funding for events. Additionally, long-term funding contracts and the provision of human resources to manage each transaction are used to establish long-term relationships between events and the destination.

Social Impacts and Social Legacies

Questions about legacies from sport mega-events generated a related line of research with a focus on social legacies. Chalip’s (2006) treatise on social leveraging and Misener and Mason’s (2006) work on building community networks and social capital were part of a “turning of the tide” from a focus on economic impact to more intangible outcomes from hosting events. The timing on this change of focus occurred when London had been awarded the 2012 Olympic Games and South Africa was getting ready to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and conversations were on legacy (for London 2012) and nation-building for South Africa. In the tourism journals, following the resident-impact line of inquiry, a body of knowledge about social impacts had emerged ( Fredline, 2005 ). For example, Gursoy and Kendall (2006) found that hosting mega-events, in this case the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, resulted in positive social outcomes such as increased pride, self-esteem, and community spirit. Enhanced pride and community spirit were again identified in South Korea’s hosting of the 2002 FIFA World Cup ( Kim, Gursoy, & Lee, 2006 ). Similarly, Ohmann, Jones and Wilkes (2006) found that Germany’s hosting of the 2006 FIFA World Cup instilled a sense of unity and national pride among its citizenry. Burgan and Mules (1992) had already invoked the concept of “psychic income” to describe this enhanced sense of pride, patriotism, and excitement, as expressed by residents of Brisbane in their hosting of the 1982 Commonwealth Games. Psychic income appeared to explain, at least during the event, why many of the negative impacts associated with hosting were forgotten as residents got caught up in the excitement and euphoria induced by the sporting competition. Similarly, as South Africa was getting ready for FIFA 2010, scholars reflected back on the 1995 Rugby World Cup and how President Nelson Mandela, as depicted in the movie Invictus , tried to establish a sense of collective spirit in the Rainbow Nation through rugby and advanced several treatises on nation-building through the hosting of such mega-events in the South African context (e.g., Labuschagne, 2008 ; Van Der Merwe, 2007 ). However, criticism associated with the 1995 Rugby World Cup pointed out that the collective spirit boost soon faded as the memory of winning the Cup diminished and the long history of challenges in that multiethnic nation was too complex to be solved by a sport event ( Van Der Merwe, 2007 ). Nonetheless, with the impetus shifting to a focus on legacy, in particular among politicians and event owners such as the IOC and FIFA, some scholars shifted their attention to the intangible outcomes of hosting under the umbrella term of “social impacts” or “social legacy” (e.g., Fredline, 2005 ; Minnaert, 2012 ; Prayag, Hosany, Nunkoo, & Alders, 2013 ; Schulenkorf, 2009 ).

This shift away from economic impacts, a focus often described as “disappointing” by residents (e.g., Kim, Gursoy, & Lee, 2006 ), pointed to needs for research to be sensitive to the more complex social and political micro-contexts of many hosting countries. Since the 1990s, sociologists, in particular, had been writing about the breakdown of community and social networks ( Putnam, 1995 ). There were also growing concerns about the increasing sociostructural divide and resulting increases in social inequality and the breakdown of social capital (e.g., Gould & Hijzen, 2016 ). Perhaps it is not surprising that governments started conceptualizing their mega-event hosting strategies in terms of building or rebuilding social cohesion. Waitt (2003) noted this with respect to the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, and Cornelissen, Bob, and Swart (2011) focused attention on South Africa’s nation-building goals in hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup. As stated earlier, the idea of building social capital through sport and events had already been raised (e.g., Misener & Mason, 2006 ). Several empirical studies emerged, evaluating the degree to which event hosting was linked to psychic income as the immediate emotional response but also to longer-term outcomes such as social capital (e.g., Gibson et al., 2014 ), building national identity among peoples with different ethnic identities ( Heere et al., 2014 ), happiness ( Hallman, Breuer, & Kuhnreich, 2013 ), and national well-being ( Kavetsos & Szymanski, 2010 ). While the research showed that the psychological response associated with hosting (psychic income) was indeed present, the longer-term goals of building social unity were often not met (e.g., Gibson et al., 2014 ). The missing part of these initiatives appeared to stem from the relative lack of social leveraging that was associated with the pursuit of these longer-term goals ( Chalip, 2006 ).

So while research on the social benefits of event hosting has grown and moved into the realm of sport for development (e.g., Schulenkorf, Thomson, & Schlenker, 2011 ) or has been used to examine volunteer legacies (e.g., Downward & Ralston, 2006 ), critiques over hosting these sport mega-events have escalated, so much so that the pool of potential host cities has considerably declined ( Sidhant, 2020 ). Critique levied at these sport mega-events is nothing new; in the sociology of sport, such a skeptical posture has a long tradition (e.g., Whitson & McIntosh, 1993 ). However, in the work in sport tourism in the late 1990s, some of these concerns became more central to inquiry in the emerging area of study focused on how tourism was associated with hosting these events. Higham (1999) , in a commentary paper, used this tradition of critiquing these mega-events as a point of departure to suggest focusing on another avenue of study in sport tourism events, that of small-scale event tourism.

Small-Scale Sport Tourism Events

As we said, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, as communities began to invest in sport as a tourism development strategy, many of the early studies on these small-scale events were focused on economics ( Daniels & Norman, 2003 ; Turco, 1998 ). The tourism-event funding model at local levels is often based on investing public monies (tourist taxes generated from commercial lodging) into tourist ventures (e.g., hosting small-scale sport events) that generate economic activity for the community (i.e., return on investment). It is common for these event organizers to track hotel room nights and expenditure data from local businesses to demonstrate that these public monies have been used effectively. However, when leveraging strategies use grants to entice event managers to adopt a strategy designed to generate tourism, it may result in “mission drift” by shifting the event managers’ attention from their core purpose of staging the event ( Kelly & Fairley, 2018b ). When the focus of event managers shifts to tourism, they spend less time on the staging of their own event, leading to a product of lesser quality.

At the level of small-scale events in those early days, sports commissions, convention and visitors bureaus, as well as parks and recreation departments were encouraged to host sport events that would attract visitor spending from outside the community while making use of existing facilities and leveraging existing sport events ( Daniels & Norman, 2003 ; Higham, 1999 ). In the United States, calls were made to recognize the tourism value of college sports ( Gibson, Willming, & Holdnak, 2003 ); in New Zealand, Super 12 rugby was positioned as a way of counteracting seasonality in tourism ( Higham & Hinch, 2002 ); and motor sports were used to diversify tourism on the Gold Coast in Australia (e.g., Fredline & Faulkner, 1998 ). While each of these initiatives focused upon economic impacts, they also measured social impacts, such as the effects of event hosting on local communities ( Fredline, 2005 ) and understanding how sport tourists might be encouraged to engage in non-sport-related activities while visiting a destination, known as flow-on tourism ( Gibson et al., 2003 ).

By about 2010, hosting small-scale sport events for many communities had become a major part of their tourism strategies. Indeed, Gibson, Kaplanidou, and Kang (2012) argued that, for communities with sport facilities and a sport-centric culture, small-scale event sport tourism was a form of sustainable tourism development. We also saw a shift at this time in how event sport tourism was being conceptualized. Contrary to the earlier focus on spectators, the growth in travel for participatory sport events was a noticeable development ( Kaplanidou & Gibson, 2010 ). As we noted earlier, this gave rise to a line of research on sport-event participation experiences (e.g., Lamont et al., 2012 ; Shipway & Jones, 2007 ). Another development occurred at the community level as more communities recognized the economic potential associated with hosting small-scale sport events, particularly those featuring youth sport.

In 2019, it is estimated that sport tourists spent US $45.1 billion, including expenditures by venues and event organizers ( Sports ETA, 2019 ). Also in 2019, Wintergreen Research, Inc. reported that youth sport travel spending alone was estimated at U.S.$15 billion per year. In the meantime, some communities had invested heavily in new facilities to host these sport events, using both public monies as well as commercial investment. This resulted in a proliferation of “mega-complexes,” where sports facilities are combined with hotels and other guest services that specifically target traveling youth sport families ( Drape, 2018 ). While the youth sport industry understands the economic significance of this form of small-scale sport tourism and the local sports commissions and other agencies involved in hosting recognize that tourism is economically beneficial to their communities (a fact that was made abundantly clear when the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted these contests [ Drape & Chen, 2020 ]), there has been little interest from academics on examining the tourism associated with youth sport for these families ( Garst, Gagnon, & Stone, 2019 ; Mirehie, Gibson, Kang, & Bell, 2019 ; Scott & Turco, 2007 ). Taks, Chalip, Green, Kesenne, and Martyn (2009) examined the flow-on tourism behaviors that take place as a result of some of the bigger youth sport tournaments. Still, the majority of research on youth sport participation has largely omitted consideration of tourism impacts. Indeed, costs associated with mandated travel have increased the time, money, and resources needed to participate in youth sport, disproportionally affecting those who lack the finances to participate (e.g., Knight & Holt, 2013 ).

Despite some of the growing concerns over the “big money” in youth sport, we still suggest that small-scale sport events have more positive potential for both communities and participants. As Higham (1999) suggested over 20 years ago, such events can bypass many of the negatives associated with hosting sport mega-events. Not surprisingly, research on sport-event participation has grown in tandem with more communities finding benefits in hosting participatory sport events. However, as noted, when considering active sport tourism, the focus on participation has come with reduced focus on understanding the touristic nature of small-scale sport events (e.g., Raggiotto & Scarpi, 2020 ). Further, returning to our earlier discussion on leveraging, Kennelly (2017) finds few event organizers understand how to effectively leverage their events to maximize both tourism benefits and participation experience. Much remains for future inquiry into this dynamic.

Our narrative shows that, over 20 years after study on the topic began, there is a body of theoretically informed work on various aspects of sport tourism, some of which has been accomplished in partnership with relevant agencies. However, the biggest debate today appears to be over the continued relevance of sport tourism in Western academic communities, particularly in light of the ascendance of event management in relation to both tourism management and sport management. Where is the focus on tourism in much of the contemporary research on events in general, and sport events in particular? We even have diverging opinions on this ourselves. It may be that our assessments stem from our different geographical contexts. While Australia is a more strategic leader in cohesive planning of sport events and event tourism, in the United States the importance of tourism in events varies widely depending on whom you are talking to, and event management and planning is largely dispersed among small independent agencies. In Australia, tourism and events often sit together within one organization; for example, Tourism and Events Queensland is a state statutory body in charge of events and tourism in Queensland.

One notable development since the mid- to late 1990s, when we saw the first coalescence around sport tourism, has been the rising prominence of events, both as an industry sector and an academic area of study. As a field, events and event management is claimed by hospitality, tourism, sport management, recreation, and event management in and of itself. The discipline housing degree programs or the events sector you work in will shape how you view tourism’s role in events. Not surprisingly, tourism academics tend to think of events as “just tourism.” Often they cannot understand why, over the past 10 years in university settings, students have been gravitating to event management degrees in such numbers that concerns have grown over the decrease in student enrollment in tourism programs. In fact, many of these event management students have no interest in tourism, as they do not see it as relevant to their future jobs as event planners.

In sport management degree programs, where there has been an appreciation of sport tourism for over 20 years, we have also seen a move away from the tourism aspects of sport events. Thus, while sport event management has grown in emphasis, both as an academic degree component and an area of research, we risk losing tourism, and by extension sport tourism, as an area of academic focus in parts of the world that were first associated with this area of study. A significant exception is continued growing interest in sport tourism from governments and scholars in the East, most notably in Asia. However, while it is encouraging to see scholars from a broader range of countries focusing on sport tourism, some of the earlier critiques about overly descriptive and atheoretical work remain. We hope, as was the case with our work in the late 1990s, that this turn of interest will fuel a new phase of research. There is promise for new ideas and approaches that can push the boundaries of our understanding about sport tourism in these countries, rather than emulating studies published in Western contexts over the past 20 years. Of course, we hope that this emergent stimulus of interest will be helpful in reframing and bringing culture-specific considerations more forward on the research agenda.

Another resilient area of debate surrounds the notion of leveraging, and the extent to which both academics and practitioners understand what it entails. As Kennelly (2017) found in her study of participatory events in the United Kingdom, few event organizers understood the need to leverage their events. This mirrors Chalip and Leyns’s (2002) conclusion almost 20 years ago in their studies about leveraging sport events on the Gold Coast in Australia. As journal reviewers and editors, we know that it is not uncommon to see manuscripts that claim to have a focus on leveraging, but in reality the focus remains on questions of impact rather than on how event-related actors devise and implement strategies to leverage outcomes from an event.

A new twist in discussions of sport mega-events that lead us to the legacy and leveraging debate is concern over the costs and resources devoted to hosting these events. In particular, there is growing concern that countries from the developing world are bidding for and hosting large-scale events; some observers suggest that it is irresponsible to burden such countries (or any country) with unnecessary debts given unrealistic expectations of benefits ( Dowse & Fletcher, 2018 ). Indeed, these bids are often motivated by unproven claims about economic benefits ( Whitson & Horne, 2006 ), with limited mention that the major beneficiaries of such events are most typically the elites, while everyday taxpayers are left with sometimes considerable burdens (e.g., Tomlinson, 2014 ).

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a considerable impact on sport, tourism, and sport tourism. The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games have been postponed, and many other international and domestic sport events have been postponed or canceled. Just how sport tourism will recover remains unknown. Some professional sports have received special dispensation from governments to continue play despite state and national restrictions on social distancing and travel. For example, the National Rugby League and the Australian Football League have resumed playing in Australia, with some teams being forced to relocate to another state in order to continue playing, and strict protocols around social contact with others. Likewise, in the United States, the National Basketball Association has created a “bubble” at the ESPN Disney Wide World of Sports to finish a season that was interrupted by the sudden stay-at-home orders in spring 2020.

In tourism, the economic fallout from the pandemic has been particularly acute, as many countries have created tourism-centric economies since the previous global disruptions on tourism flows in the early to mid-2000s. Since 2014, international tourism had resumed exponential growth each year and in some parts of the world had reached a crisis point of too many visitors, a condition referred to as “overtourism” ( Weber, 2017 ). The almost complete shutdown of international tourism in April and May 2020 showed residents of these tourism-receiving communities what local life is like without hordes of visitors ( Haywood, 2020 ). Some have suggested that tourism in these communities could be reenvisioned ( Haywood, 2020 ), although the economic realities of having little to no tourism have also become apparent. Will the economic imperatives win out?

Similar discussions have been occurring in the youth sport world, led by the Aspen Institute’s (2015) Project Play ( Farrey, 2020 ). Without organized sport, physical activity during the early days of the pandemic-related lockdowns increased in outdoor venues such as parks and empty streets, and people of all ages rediscovered cycling and walking ( Ding, del Pozo Cruz, & Green, 2020 ; Venter, Barton, Gundersen, Figari, & Nowell, 2020 ). The number of youth in organized sport has been declining over the past decade (e.g., Aspen Institute, 2015 ); will the pandemic exacerbate this downward trend? Many U.S. youth sport tournaments were held despite public health concerns ( Allentuck, 2020 ).

In bringing this chapter to a close, it is time to think about the future of inquiry of sport tourism by reflecting on our dual critiques of early work in sport tourism for being too focused on economics and for being too often atheoretical. First, we should make clear that we still believe there is a role for economic-focused work. In the post-COVID-19 era, using a cost-benefit analysis to examine the economic returns from sport tourism initiatives for communities will be imperative ( Mules & Dwyer, 2005 ). For associated industries and communities, accurate estimates of economic impact will be needed to guide policy and engender support from government and residents alike. However, one lesson from research on sport events over the past 20 years is that economic benefit cannot be assumed. This is most particularly the case for the larger events involving major infrastructure development and the multilevel disruption of life for host communities.

As our discussion in this chapter has shown, there has been a two-pronged approach, centered on legacy and leveraging, to event-related research. While our knowledge had advanced in these two areas, Chalip and Fairley (2019) argued in the introduction to their special issue of the Journal of Sport & Tourism that there is still a need for a strategic approach to leveraging. Understanding the principles of leveraging and building partnerships remains limited as event organizers are understandably preoccupied with planning and executing the event itself. Thus, going forward, we suggest that there is still much work to be done in untangling the principles of leveraging and how best to apply them in sport tourism and event management. If we are to continue to stage sport mega-events in the face of increased opposition from potential host cities, a shift from legacy to leveraging is warranted. Citizens deserve accountability and return on investment from their backing of these events. The need to revisit the ethics of hosting is in line with the growing call for attention to sustainability in sport and tourism generally, and in event hosting in particular.

This returns us to a discussion about the size and scale of events for communities. Proponents of small-scale events have demonstrated that while they are not perfect, their strategic use offers the prospect of a balanced event portfolio ( Ziakas, 2014 ), whereby communities can host events that complement their image as a destination ( Chalip & Leyns, 2002 ) and use existing facilities and infrastructure ( Gibson et al., 2012 ). Such strategies may offer the best way forward for many communities.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, some of the first events communities returned to were for youth. Because of this, the larger events industry has come to recognize that the pandemic has opened the door to the need to think differently about events and how they might be staged. For example, eSports, one of the new genres in the sport industry before the pandemic, held in-person competitions with live audiences. During the pandemic, the integration of new technologies into people’s lives during spring/summer 2020 has raised questions about the changing expectations of hosting and attending events. For example, does the next eSports event need to be held in person at a convention center, or can it be held virtually?

On another technology-driven front, the integration of AI generally in tourism has gathered speed during the pandemic. While we are not suggesting that in-person participation in sports (for spectators and athletes) or traveling will disappear, accepted ways of doing things changed drastically in January 2020. As in the work of Project Play ( Farrey, 2020 ) and in youth sport after COVID-19, the wider tourism and events industries have also been reenvisioning the future (e.g., UN World Tourism Organization, 2020 ).

While we do not envision that people will stop traveling, attending sport events, and participating in sport tourism in person, we have seen glimpses of new ways of participation, such as virtual marathons. However, we have also seen more people cycling and (re)discovering participating in physical activities outside ( Venter et al., 2020 ). To what extent will this continue and reshape the sport tourism opportunities that are offered? Over the past few years, the IOC has sanctioned the inclusion of skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing in the Olympic Games as a way of reaching the younger generations, some of whom have turned away from traditional (Olympic) sports ( Farrey, 2020 ). At the recreational level, the growing popularity of ultramarathons, adventure racing, and mud runs and the rise in interest in cycling and running may continue to reshape sport tourism offerings as more people seek to compete and socialize with other participants in greater numbers. It is possible that as some of those individuals who became engaged in physical activity during the pandemic enter higher levels of commitment, they may be encouraged to seek participation in sport tourism opportunities (e.g., Buning & Gibson, 2015 ; Getz & McConnell, 2011 ).

We think there has definitely been some progress in the theoretical development of work in sport tourism, both deductively and inductively. Here, new theoretical suppositions have been proposed, such as the event travel career ( Getz, 2008 ), and there has been some refinement advanced through grounded theory applications, such as the active sport event travel career ( Buning & Gibson, 2015 ). Further, we have seen promising refined approaches to leveraging in small-scale sport settings ( Kelly & Fairley, 2018b ; Kelly et al., 2019 ) and explorations of the multidimensional nature of nostalgia ( Cho et al., 2014 ) in sport tourism. However, as Chalip and Fairley (2019 , p. 157) note about the tendency for a focus on sport events beginning to dominate the sport tourism knowledge base, “Although we have learned a great deal in recent years about ways to enhance the policy utility of sport events, the field remains undertheorized and overly general.” We concur, but we also revert to an essential question we raised earlier: Will research on sport events continue to subsume sport tourism, or will sport event researchers rediscover the integral role that tourism plays in these events, both on the demand and supply sides of event experiences?

Aicher, T. , Buning, R. , & Newland, B. ( 2021 ). Running through travel career progression: Social worlds and active sport tourism. Journal of Sport Management , 27 (1), 32–44 https://doi.org/10.1177/1356766720948249 .

Google Scholar

Allentuck, D. (2020, May 12). A big youth baseball tournament was played in Missouri. Was it too soon? New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/12/sports/baseball/coronavirus-youth-baseball-tournament-missouri.html .

Aspen Institute. (2015). Project Play: Facts: Sports activity and children. http://www.aspenprojectplay.org/the-facts .

Bordelon, L. , & Ferreira, S. ( 2019 ). Mountain biking is for (white, wealthy, middle-aged) men: The Cape Epic mountain bike race. Journal of Sport & Tourism, 23, 41–59.

Brown, G. , Chalip, L. , Jago, L. , & Mules, T. ( 2002 ). The Sydney Olympics and Brand Australia. In N. Morgan , A. Pritchard , & R. Pride (Eds.), Destination branding: Creating the unique destination proposition (pp. 163–185). Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.

Google Preview

Buning, R. , & Gibson, H. ( 2015 ). The evolution of active sport event travel careers. Journal of Sport Management , 29 , 555–564.

Burgan, B. , & Mules, T. ( 1992 ). Economic impact of sporting events. Annals of Tourism Research, 19, 700–710.

Cashman, R. ( 2003 ). What is “Olympic legacy”? In M. Moragas , C. Kennett , & N. Puig (Eds.), The legacy of the Olympic Games 1984–2000: International Symposium Lausanne, 14th, 15th and 16th November 2002 (pp. 31–42). Lausanne: International Olympic Committee.

Chalip, L. ( 2004 ). Beyond economic impact: A general model for sport event leverage. In B. Ritchie & D. Adair (Eds.), Sport tourism: Interrelationships, impacts and issues (pp. 226–252). Clevedon, U.K.: Channel View Publications.

Chalip, L. ( 2006 ). Towards social leverage of sport events. Journal of Sport & Tourism, 11(2), 109–127.

Chalip, L. , & Fairley, S. ( 2019 ). Thinking strategically about sport events. Journal of Sport & Tourism , 23 (4), 155–158.

Chalip, L. , & Green, B. C. (2001). Leveraging large sports events for tourism: Lessons learned from the Sydney Olympics. Supplemental proceedings of the Travel and Tourism Research Association 32nd Annual Conference, Fort Myers, FL, June 10–13.

Chalip, L. , Green, B. C. , Taks, M. , & Misener, L. ( 2017 ). Creating sport participation from sport events: Making it happen. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics , 9 (2), 257–276.

Chalip, L. , & Heere, B. ( 2013 ). Leveraging sport events: Fundamentals and application to bids. In I. Henry , & L.-M. Ko (Eds.), Routledge handbook of sport policy (pp. 209–220). London: Routledge.

Chalip, L. , & Leyns, A. ( 2002 ). Local business leveraging of a sport event: Managing an event for economic benefit. Journal of Sport Management, 16, 132–158.

Cho, H. , Ramshaw, G. , & Norman, W. ( 2014 ). A conceptual model of nostalgia in the context of sport tourism: Reclassifying the sporting past. Journal of Sport & Tourism , 19 (2), 145–168.

Clark, R. , & Misener, L. ( 2015 ). Understanding urban development through a sport events portfolio: A case study of London, Ontario. Journal of Sport Management, 29, 11–26.

Cornelissen, S. , Bob, U. , & Swart, K. ( 2011 ). Sport mega-events and their legacies: The 2010 FIFA World Cup. Development Southern Africa , 28 (3), 305–306.

Daniels, M. , & Norman, W. ( 2003 ). Estimating the economic impacts of seven regular sport tourism events. Journal of Sport Tourism, 8(4), 214–222.

Dickson, T. J. , Benson, A. M. , & Blackman, D. A. ( 2011 ). Developing a framework for evaluating Olympic and Paralympic legacies. Journal of Sport & Tourism, 16, 285–302.

Ding, D. , del Pozo Cruz, B. , & Green, M. ( 2020 ). Is the Covid-19 lockdown nudging people to be more active: Big data analysis. British Medical Journal Sports Med . Advance online publication. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2020-102575.

Dong, E. (Ed.). ( 2020 ). Sport tourism development: Foundation and cases . Beijing: China Science Publishing.

Downward, P. , & Ralston, R. ( 2006 ). The sports development potential of sports event volunteering: Insights from the XVII Manchester Commonwealth Games. European Sport Management Quarterly, 6, 333–351.

Dowse, S. , & Fletcher, T. ( 2018 ). Sport mega-events, the “non-West” and the ethics of event hosting. Sport and Society , 21 (5), 745–761.

Drape, J. (2018, September 12). The youth sports megacomplex comes to town, hoping teams will follow. New York Times . https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/12/sports/youth-sports-costs.html .

Drape, J. , & Chen, D. (2020, March 16 ). Tears and disbelief as coronavirus cancels youth sports. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/16/sports/coronavirus-canceled-youth-sports.html .

Fairley, S. ( 2003 ). In search of relived social experience: Group-based nostalgia sport tourism. Journal of Sport Management, 17, 284–304.

Fairley, S. , Gibson, H. , & Lamont, M. ( 2018 ). Temporal manifestations of nostalgia: Le Tour de France. Annals of Tourism Research, 70, 120–130.

Farrell, J. , Johnston, M. , & Twynam, D. ( 1998 ). Volunteer motivation, satisfaction and management at elite sporting competition. Journal of Sport Management, 12, 288–300.

Farrey, T. (2020, June 1). How can sports help build America? Aspen Institute. https://www.aspeninstitute.org/blog-posts/how-sports-can-help-rebuild-america/ .

Faulkner, B. Chalip, L. , Brown, G. , Jago, L. , March, R. , & Woodside, A. ( 2001 ). Monitoring the tourism impacts of the Sydney 2000 Olympics. Event Management, 6, 231–246.

Fendt, L. , & Wilson, E. ( 2012 ). “ I just push through the barriers because I live for surfing”: How women negotiate their constraints to surf tourism. Annals of Leisure Research , 15 (1), 4–18.

Forscher, B. ( 1963 ). Chaos in the brickyard. Science, 142 (3590), 339.

Fredline, E. ( 2005 ). Host and guest relations and sport tourism. Sport in Society, 8(2), 263–279.

Fredline, E. , & Faulkner, B. ( 1998 ). Resident reactions to a major tourist event: The Gold Coast Indy Car Race. Festival Management and Event Tourism, 5, 185–205.

Gammon, S. , & Kurtzman, J. (Eds.). ( 2002 ). Sport tourism: Principles and practice . Eastbourne, U.K.: LSA Publications.

Gammon, S. , & Ramshaw, G. ( 2020 ). Distancing from the present nostalgia and leisure in lockdown. Leisure Sciences , 43 (1–2), 131–137. doi: 10.1080/01490400.2020.1773993

Garst, B. , Gagnon, R. , & Stone, G. ( 2019 ). “ The credit card or the taxi”: A qualitative investigation of parent involvement in indoor competition climbing. Leisure Sciences , 42 (5–6), 589–608. https://doi.org/10.1080/01490400.2019.1646172 .

Getz, D. ( 1998 ). Trends, strategies and issues in sport-event tourism. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 7, 8–13.

Getz, D. ( 2008 ). Event tourism: Definition, evolution, and research. Tourism Management, 29, 403–428.

Getz, D. , & Anderson, T. D. ( 2010 ). The event-tourist career trajectory: A study of high-involvement amateur distance runners. Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism , 10 (4), 468–491.

Getz, D. , & McConnell, A. ( 2011 ). Serious sport tourism and event travel careers. Journal of Sport Management, 25, 326–338.

Gibson, H. ( 1998 a). Active sport tourism: Who participates? Leisure Studies , 17 (2), 155–170.

Gibson, H. ( 1998 b). Sport tourism: A critical analysis of research. Sport Management Review, 1, 45–76.

Gibson, H. ( 2004 ). Moving beyond the “what is and who” of sport tourism and understanding “why. ” Journal of Sport Tourism , 9 (3), 247–265.

Gibson, H. (Ed.). ( 2006 ). Sport tourism: Concepts and theories . London: Routledge.

Gibson, H. ( 2017 ). Commentary: Sport tourism and theory and some other developments: Some reflections. Journal of Sport & Tourism , 21 (2), 153–158.

Gibson, H. , & Chang, S. , ( 2012 ). Cycling in mid and later life: Involvement and benefits sought from a bicycle tour. Journal of Leisure Research , 44 (1), 23–49.

Gibson, H. , Kaplanidou, K. , & Kang, S. J. , ( 2012 ). Small-scale event sport tourism: A case study in sustainable tourism. Sport Management Review, 15, 160–170.

Gibson, H. , Lamont, M. , Kennelly, M. , & Buning, R. ( 2018 ). Introduction to the special issue Active Sport Tourism. Journal of Sport & Tourism , 22 (2), 83–91.

Gibson, H. , & Mirehie, M. ( 2018 ). Sport tourism and feminism. In L. Mansfield , J. Caudwell , B. Wheaton , & R. Watson (Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of feminisms in sport, leisure and physical education (pp. 681–697). London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Gibson, H. , Walker, M. , Thapa, B. , Kaplanidou, K. , Geldenhuys, S. , & Coetzee, W. ( 2014 ). Psychic income and social capital among host nation residents: A pre-post analysis of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Tourism Management, 44, 113–122.

Gibson, H. , Willming, C. , & Holdnak, A. ( 2003 ). Small-scale event sport tourism: Fans as tourists. Tourism Management, 24, 181–190.

Gould, D. , & Hijzen, A. (2016, August 16). Growing apart, losing trust? The impact of inequality on social capital. IMF Working Papers. https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WP/Issues/2016/12/31/Growing-Apart-Losing-Trust-The-Impact-of-Inequality-on-Social-Capital-44197 .

Gratton, C. , Dobson, N. , & Shibli, S. ( 2000 ). The economic importance of major sports events: A case study of six events. Managing Leisure, 5, 17–28.

Green, B. C. ( 2001 ). Leveraging subculture and identity to promote sport events. Sport Management Review, 4, 1–19.

Gursoy, D. , & Kendall, K. ( 2006 ). Hosting mega events: Modeling locals’ support. Annals of Tourism Research, 33, 603–623.

Hallman, K. , Breuer, C. , & Kuhnreich, B. ( 2013 ). Happiness, pride and elite sporting success: What population segments gain most from national athletic achievements? Sport Management Review, 16, 226–235.

Haywood, K. M. ( 2020 ). A post COVID-19 future—tourism re-imagined and re-enabled. Tourism Geographies, 22, 599–609.

Heere, B. , Walker, M. , Gibson, H. , Thapa, B. , Geldenhuys, S. , & Coetzee, W. ( 2014 ). Questioning the validity of race as a social construct: An examination of race and ethnicity in the “Rainbow Nation. ” African Social Science Review , 7 (1), 24–43.

Higham, J. ( 1999 ). Commentary: Sport as an avenue of tourism development: An analysis of the positive and negative impacts of sport tourism. Current Issues in Tourism, 2, 82–90.

Higham, J. , & Hinch, T. ( 2002 ). Tourism, sport and seasons: The challenges and potential of overcoming seasonality in the sport and tourism sectors. Tourism Management, 23, 175–185.

Hinch, T. , & Higham, J. ( 2001 ). Sport tourism: A framework for research. International Journal of Tourism Research, 3, 45–58.

Hinch, T. , Higham, J. , & Moyle, B. ( 2016 ). Sport tourism and sustainable destinations: Foundations and pathways. Journal of Sport & Tourism , 20 (3–4) 163–173.

Hinch, T. , & Ito, E. ( 2018 ). Sustainable sport tourism in Japan. Tourism Planning & Development, 15, 96–101.

Hudson, S. ( 2000 ). The segmentation of potential tourists: Constraint differences between men and women. Journal of Travel Research , 38 , 363–368.

Kaplanidou, K. , & Gibson, H. ( 2010 ). Predicting behavioral intentions of active event sport tourists: The case of a small-scale recurring sports event. Journal of Sport & Tourism, 15, 163–179.

Kaplanidou, K. , & Vogt, C. ( 2007 ). The interrelationship between sport event and destination image and sport tourists’ behaviors. Journal of Sport & Tourism , 12 (3–4), 183–206.

Kavetsos, G. , & Szymanski, S. ( 2010 ). National well-being and international sports events. Journal of Economic Psychology, 31(2), 158–171.

Kelly, D. , & Fairley, S. ( 2018 a). The utility of relationships in the creation and maintenance of an event portfolio. Marketing Intelligence & Planning , 36 (2), 260–275.

Kelly, D. , & Fairley, S. ( 2018 b). What about the event? How do tourism leveraging strategies affect small-scale events? Tourism Management , 64 , 335–345.

Kelly, D. , Fairley, S. , & O’Brien, D. ( 2019 ). It was never ours: Formalised event hosting rights and leverage. Tourism Management, 73, 123–133.

Kennelly, M. ( 2017 ). “ We’ve never measured it, but it brings in a lot of business”: Participatory sport events and tourism. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management , 29 , 883–899.

Kim, H. , Gursoy, D. , & Lee, S. ( 2006 ). The impact of the 2002 World Cup on South Korea: Comparisons of pre and post games. Tourism Management, 27, 86–96.

Knight, C. J. , & Holt, N. L. ( 2013 ). Strategies used and assistance required to facilitate children’s involvement in tennis: Parents’ perspectives. Sport Psychologist , 27 , 281–291.

Labuschagne, P. ( 2008 ). The impact of sport on nation building: A critical analysis of South Africa and the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Africa Insight, 38(3), 3–14

Lamont, M. , Kennelly, M. , & Wilson, E. ( 2012 ). Competing priorities in constraints in event travel careers. Tourism Management, 33, 1068–1079.

Leopkey, B. , & Parent, M. M. ( 2012 ). Olympic Games legacy: From general benefits to sustainable long-term legacy. International Journal of the History of Sport, 29, 924–943.

Maennig, W. ( 2007 ). One year later: A reappraisal of the economics of the 2006 Soccer World Cup. Hamburg Contemporary Economic Discussions , 10 , 1–18. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1520530

McGehee, N. , Yoon, Y. , & Cardenas, D. , ( 2003 ). Involvement and travel for recreational runners in North Carolina. Journal of Sport Management, 17, 305–324.

Minnaert, L. ( 2012 ). An Olympic legacy for all? The non-infrastructural outcomes of the Olympic Games for socially excluded groups (Atlanta 1996–Beijing 2008). Tourism Management, 33, 361–370.

Mirehie, M. , & Gibson, H. ( 2020 ). The relationship between female snow-sport tourists’ travel behaviors and well-being. Tourism Management Perspectives , 33 (1), 1000613.

Mirehie, M. , Gibson, H. , Kang, S. J. , & Bell, H. ( 2019 ). Parental insights from three elite-level youth sports: Implications for family life. World Leisure Journa l, 61 (2), 98–112.

Misener, L. , & Mason, D. ( 2006 ). Creating community networks: Can sporting events offer meaningful sources of social capital? Managing Leisure, 11, 39–56.

Mules, T. ( 1998 ). Taxpayer subsidies for major sport events. Sport Management Review , 1 (1), 25–43.

Mules, T. , & Dwyer, L. ( 2005 ). Public sector support for sport tourism events: The role of cost-benefit analysis. Sport in Society, 8, 338–355.

O’Brien, D. , & Chalip, L. ( 2007 ). 19 sport events and strategic leveraging: Pushing towards the triple bottom line. In A. G. Woodside & D. Martin (Eds.), Tourism management: Analysis, behaviour, and strategy (pp. 318–338). Wallingford, U.K.: CAB International.

Ohmann, S. , Jones, I. , & Wilkes, K. ( 2006 ). The perceived social impacts of the 2006 football World Cup on Munich residents. Journal of Sport & Tourism, 11(2), 129–152.

Pearce, P. L. ( 1988 ). The Ulysses factor: Evaluating visitors in tourist settings . New York: Springer-Verlag.

Prayag, G. , Hosany, S. , Nunkoo, R. , & Alders, T. ( 2013 ). London residents’ support for the 2012 Olympic Games: The mediating effect of overall attitude. Tourism Management, 36, 629–640.

Preuss, H. ( 2007 ). The conceptualization and measurement of mega sport event legacies. Journal of Sport & Tourism, 12(3–4), 207–228.

Preuss, H. ( 2015 ). A framework for identifying the legacies of a mega sport event. Leisure Studies , 34 (6), 643–664.

Putnam, R. ( 1995 ). Bowling alone: America’s declining social capital. Journal of Democracy, 6, 65–78.

Raggiotto, F. , & Scarpi, D. ( 2020 ). Living on the edge: Psychological drivers of athletes’ intention to re-patronage extreme sporting events. Sport Management Review, 23, 229–241.

Ramshaw, G. ( 2020 ). Heritage and sport: An introduction . Summit, PA: Channel View Publications.

Ramshaw, G. , & Gammon, S. ( 2005 ). More than just nostalgia? Exploring the heritage/sport tourism nexus. Journal of Sport Tourism, 10(4), 229–241.

Redmond, G. ( 1991 ). Changing styles of sports tourism: Industry/consumer interactions in Canada, the USA and Europe. In M. Sinclair & M. Stabler (Eds.), The tourism industry: An international analysis (pp. 107–120). Wallingford, U.K.: CAB International.

Ryan, C. , & Lockyer, T. ( 2002 ). Masters’ games involvement—the nature of competitors’ involvement and requirements. Event Management, 7, 259–270.

Schulenkorf, N. ( 2009 ). An ex ante framework for the strategic study of social utility of sport events. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 9, 120–131.

Schulenkorf, N. , Thomson, A. , & Schlenker, K. ( 2011 ). Intercommunity sport events: Vehicles and catalysts for social capital in divided societies. Event Management, 15, 105–119.

Schumacher, D. G. (2015). National Association of Sports Commission’s report on the sports travel industry. https://www.sportscommissions.org/Portals/sportscommissions/Documents/About/NASC%20Sport%20Tourism%20Industry%20Report.pdf

Scott, A. K. , & Turco, D. ( 2007 ). VFRs as a segment of the sport event tourist market. Journal of Sport Tourism , 12 (1), 41–52.

Shipway, R. , & Jones, I. ( 2007 ). Running away from home: Understanding visitor experiences and behaviour at sport tourism events. International Journal of Tourism Research, 9, 373–383.

Sidhant, W. ( 2020 ). Exorbitant costs and minimal benefits: The impacts of hosting the Olympics. Chicago Policy Review. https://chicagopolicyreview.org/2020/05/06/exorbitant-costs-and-minimal-benefits-the-impact-of-hosting-the-olympics/ .

Smith, M. , & Diekmann, A. ( 2017 ). Tourism and wellbeing. Annals of Tourism Research, 66, 1–13.

Sports ETA. (2019). Sports tourism: State of the industry report (2019). https://www.sportseta.org/research/state-of-the-industry-report

Stebbins, R. ( 1982 ). Serious leisure: A conceptual statement. Pacific Sociological Review , 25 (2), 251–272.

Swart, K. , & Bob, U. ( 2012 ). Mega sport event legacies and the 2010 FIFA World Cup. African Journal for Physical Health Education, Recreation and Dance , 18 (Suppl. 2), 1–11.

Taks, M. , Chalip, C. , Green, C. , Kesenne, S. , & Martyn, S. ( 2009 ). Factors affecting repeat visitation and flow-on tourism as sources of event strategy sustainability. Journal of Sport & Tourism, 14(2–3), 121–142.

Tomlinson, A. ( 2014 ). Olympic legacies: Recurrent rhetoric and harsh realities. Contemporary Social Science , 9 , 137–158,

Turco, D. ( 1998 ). Travelling and turnovers measuring the economic impacts of a street basketball tournament, Journal of Sport Tourism , 5 (1), 7–14.

Unruh, D. R. ( 1979 ). Characteristics and types of participation in social worlds. Symbolic Interaction , 2 (2), 115–130.

UN World Tourism Organization. (2020, May 28). Global guidelines to restart tourism. https://www.unwto.org/news/unwto-launches-global-guidelines-to-restart-tourism .

Van Der Merwe, J. ( 2007 ). Political analysis of South Africa’s hosting of the Rugby and Cricket World Cups: Lessons for the 2010 Football World Cup and beyond? Politikon , 34 , 67–81.

Venter, Z. , Barton, D. , Gundersen, V. , Figari, H. , & Nowell, M. ( 2020 ). Urban nature in a time of crisis: Recreational use of green space increases during the Covid-19 outbreak in Oslo, Norway. Environmental Research Letter . https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abb396 .

Waitt, G. ( 2003 ). Social impacts of the Sydney Olympics. Annals of Tourism Research, 30, 194–215.

Whitson, D. , & Horne, J. ( 2006 ). The Glocal Politics of Sports Mega-Events: Underestimated costs and overestimated benefits? Comparing the outcomes of sports mega-events in Canada and Japan. The Sociological Review , 54, 71–89.

Weber, F. ( 2017 ). Tourism destinations under pressure: Challenges and innovative solutions . Lucerne: Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.

Weed, M. ( 2006 ). Sports tourism research 2000–2004: A systematic review of knowledge and a meta-evaluation of methods. Journal of Sport & Tourism , 11 (1), 5–30.

Weed, M. ( 2020 ). The role of the interface of sport and tourism in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Sport & Tourism . doi:10.1080/14775085.2020.1794351.

Weed, M. E. , & Bull, C. J. ( 2004 ). Sports tourism: Participants, policy and providers . Oxford: Elsevier.

Whitson, D. , & McIntosh, D. ( 1993 ). Becoming a world-class city: Hallmark events and sport franchises. Sociology of Sport Journal, 10, 221–240.

Williams, P. , & Fidgeon, P. R. ( 2000 ). Addressing participation constraint: A case study of potential skiers. Tourism Management, 21, 379–393.

Wintergreen Research, Inc. (2019). Youth team, league, and tournament sports: Market shares, strategies, and forecasts, worldwide, 2019 to 2026. https://www.wintergreenresearch.com/ .

Ziakas, V. ( 2010 ). Understanding an event portfolio: The uncovering of interrelationships, synergies, and leveraging opportunities. Journal of Policy Research in Tourism, Leisure & Events, 2(2), 144–164.

Ziakas, V. ( 2014 ). Planning and leveraging event portfolios: Towards a holistic theory. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management , 23 (3), 327–356.

Ziakas, V. , & Costa, C. ( 2011 ). Event portfolios and multi-purpose development: Establishing the conceptual grounds. Sport Management Review, 14, 409–423.

About Oxford Academic
Publish journals with us
University press partners
What we publish
New features
Open access
Institutional account management
Rights and permissions
Get help with access
Accessibility
Advertising
Media enquiries
Oxford University Press
Oxford Languages
University of Oxford

Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide

Copyright © 2024 Oxford University Press
Cookie settings
Cookie policy
Privacy policy
Legal notice

This Feature Is Available To Subscribers Only

This PDF is available to Subscribers Only

For full access to this pdf, sign in to an existing account, or purchase an annual subscription.

tourism & city branding

Sport tourism: an ever-growing sector with high potential for cities.

Jul 3, 2021

Share this post

By Young Hoon Kim, Ph.D, Professor, Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management University of North Texas, USA, and John Nauright, Ph.D Dean, Richard J. Bolte, Sr. School of Business Mount St. Mary’s University, Maryland, USA

Definition of sport tourism

As defined by Gibson (1998, p. 49), sport tourism is a “leisurebased travel that takes individuals temporarily outside of their home communities to participate and/or watch physical activities or to venerate attractions associated with physical activities”. Human beings are born to travel to fulfil their motivational needs and sports can be one of the reasons and tourism will be one of the ways to satisfy those leisure activities (e.g., trail with family or attending sport events). In theory, it is a naturally generated social phenomenon to satisfy human’s physical and psychological desire through travel or vice versa. Each domain (i.e., sports and tourism) is one of the most significant areas which impact our life from many perspectives, such as social, economy, political, and many more. In particular, Zauhar emphasised (2004, p.13), “the points of contact between sport and tourism have increased dramatically – the mutual benefits for both are quite perceptible and the relationships very compatible. In fact, the term ‘sports tourism’ has been coined to better understand the use of sport as a touristic endeavour”.

The impact of COVID-19 on the sport tourism industry

Unsurprisingly, COVID-19 has significantly impacted both sport and tourism industries. Since its original break in Wuhan, China on 21 December 2019, it led to the world pandemic declared by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on 11 March 2020. There was no way to stop this disaster and its global spread across every continent. Although our life has been getting better after vaccine and some medical treatment, it is still a question to get back to our “new” normal. The impact on global sports tourism and income from events has run into billions of dollars of lost revenue. The impact has been particularly hard for smaller scale events and lower-level leagues that do not have protection from significant television, streaming and advertising revenues. It is the key solution for major sport cities to get back to the “new” normal by recovering from the down-turn stage after being negatively impacted by COVID-19. However, it is a great opportunity for specific sport tourism sectors, such as e-sports and golf industry.

Role of cities in sport tourism

As Kim et al. (2018) pointed out in their research, “a destination brand with strong equity leads to greater commitment in the form of loyalty and willingness to revisit the destination” (p. 1196). Not only for its image developed by sports tourists but also it is critical to prepare the destinations (i.e., cities) for sustainable growth. While sport tourists select and look for a city (i.e., destination) to experience “unique” sport tourism components (e.g., physical activities or sport events), most cities are not primarily designed for sport tourism except some cases (Settimi, 2020). In addition, it is strongly recommended to partnership with educational institutions to maximise the outcomes as well as sustainable development for cities (i.e., destination) (Kim et al., 2018). The specific following suggestions can be emphasised for sport cities:

• Accessibility (e.g., transportation and highway access)

• Basic sports facilities

• Hotel and lodging facilities

• Local government (city) involvement

Sport tourism trends

Hosting of major events (spectators) is still a successful way for cities to develop their sport tourism strategy.

Sport tourism strategy will lead sport cities to the next level by approaching destination as a travel package or products which eventually increase the brand equity of destination. Thus, systematic recovery strategies are keenly needed to prevent from unexpected health-related disasters in the future (e.g., pandemic). In addition, foreseeing framework and business structure will help cities to prepare for next stage.

The development of active sport tourism should be looked at closely

Probably, the 2020 Olympics in Japan will be the best case for cities or city cluster to examine the critical cases how to react and follow up. The given lists below will be considered and discussed:

• Organise a special committee under the IOC to monitor,

• Require pre-examination systems to evaluate the current condition,

• Establish disaster-related control centre,

• Provide the stages and steps to react the outbreaks,

• Follow-up strategies to minimise the damages,

• Assess the post-Olympics, and

• Report and share the results to the public.

While global sport tourism has been damaged in the short term by the COVID-19 pandemic, immediate return of spectators and plans for new events and seasons suggests the upward trends of the latter 2010s will continue by 2022 and into 2023 and beyond. Regional events could become more important, as spectators do not travel as far. Cities and municipalities should consider the appropriate mix of major events and more local and recurrent events.

Kim, Y. H., Li, H., & Nauright, J. (2018). A destination development by building a brand image and sport event tourism: a case of Sport City USA. Sport in Society, 21(8), 1196-1203. Gibson, H. J. (1998). Sport tourism: A critical analysis of research. Sport Management Review, 1, 45-76. Settimi, C. 2020, July 17). America’s best sports cities 2020. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/christinasettimi/2020/07/17/ americas-best-sports-cities-2020/?sh=6c36d2bedaef Zauhar, J. (2004). Historical perspectives of sports tourism. Journal of Sport & Tourism, 9(1), 5-101.

To learn more

young hoon kim

john nauright

Related publication

Sport Tourism – Aarhus, Denmark

“The mission of VisitAarhus is to develop tourism and promote the Aarhus region as a sustainable destination for holiday and business tourism.”

Interview with Gianpietro Ghedina, Mayor of Cortina d’Ampezzo

“Cortina is lucky to count on two tourist seasons, summer and winter, and sport is definitely the centre of our program.”

Kigali, Rwanda: Its dual strategic approach to sport tourism

“Hosting events and developing active sport tourism has raised Rwanda’s profile as a sport tourism destination.”

The Impact of Sports Tourism on Countries

Introduction, sports tourism: an overview, big sporting events, impacts of sport tourism.

According to the World Trade Organization, tourism is the largest economic activity in the world. This industry is a key driver of economic progress in many countries and its role in economic development can be expected to increase even as the sector continues to experience expansion. One subset of tourism that has gained prominence over the past few decades is sports tourism. The number of sporting events taking place all over the world has increased and many people travel to foreign destinations either to participate in or observe the events. This paper will set out to demonstrate that sports tourism has a positive socio-economic impact on the destination country.

The tourism industry plays a major role in the economic development of many countries. The World Tourism Organization (2014) documents that tourism contributes 9% of the world GDP. This contribution is from the direct and indirect impacts of the sector. The industry is the world’s largest employer with 9.1% of all available jobs being as a direct or indirect result of tourism.

Europe is the most visited region in the world due to the numerous tourist attractions found in this region. This region attracts 43% of the total number of international tourists and it contributes US $458 billion every year. There are countries that rely almost entirely on the revenue obtained from tourism for their economy. The World Tourism Organization (2014) reports that Luxembourg, Bahamas, Bermuda, and Cyprus are examples of countries that heavily depend on tourism to sustain their economies.

Sport tourism is a subset of tourism that has huge potential in improving the earnings of a country. Delpy (1998) defines sports tourism as “travel to participate in a sport activity, travel to observe sport, and travel to visit a sport attraction” (p.23). This phenomenon has gained significant attention over the last few decades as nations have identified the positive impact that it can produce.

Global interest in sport activities is on the rise so it can be expected that the number of sport tourists will increase with the coming years. Delpy (1998) states that the contributions of sports tourism to overall tourism are at 32%. Kim and Chalip (2004) declare that sporting events are a significant component of destination marketing. This demonstrates that sports tourism is a major component of the tourism industry.

As such, encouraging the growth and development of sports tourism in a country leads to positive economic gains by the country. Sports tourism provides an opportunity for a nation to increase its tourism share since sport is the world’s largest social phenomenon. Sport tourists include spectators and those who physically participate in sporting activities. Illum (2012) documents that there is a geographic market segmentation of sports tourism. Sporting events might attract a local market, regional market, international market, or a combination of these. While the local sports tourism market is important, the greatest profits are obtained from the international sports tourism market.

The Olympic Games are the biggest sporting event with almost all nations producing athletes to compete in them. The Olympic Games were started by the Greeks as early as 776BC. The first games where held in the city of Olympia, which is located in the southwest region of Greece. Originally, the games were held to honor the Greek god Zeus and people from all of Greece traveled to Olympia to watch or participate in the games. The games were held every four years and they attracted a huge attendance. The first modern Olympics were held in Athens in the year 1896 and athletes from 13 countries participated.

The Olympics today are a mega-event that attracts thousands of participants from 204 countries and millions of attendants. For a country to host the Olympics, it has to place a bid and compete against other nations to be awarded the games. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is the body that selects the country that will host the Olympics from the set of candidate nations. There are a number of requirements including availability of competition sites, good transport and communication infrastructure that the candidate country must have in order to be eligible for hosting the games.

Another mega sport event is the FIFA world cup. This event attracts millions of attendants and many countries are eager to host the event. Countries are given the chance to host the games after winning a bid. For the 2018 and 2022 world cup, eleven bids were submitted for consideration by the FIFA executive committee. Russia was chosen as the location for the 2018 world Cup while Qatar won the 2022 bid.

The positive outcomes of sports tourism partly depend on the number of attendants that visit the destination for the event. In that respect, the Olympic Games generate the highest number of attendants compared to any other event. The FIFA World Cup also attracts millions of attendants and almost a billion people from all over the world watch the event via television (Kim & Chalip, 2004).

For this reason, many countries compete to host these mega-events and get the socio-economic benefits that come from hosting the events. The World Cup and the Olympics provide a chance for a country to gain high revenue over a short period of time. In addition to this, the events provide many employment opportunities for the local community. Many tourists from all over the world are also attracted to the host country due to the various activities.

Sport tourism results in the generation of revenue for the nation. This revenue is earned in a number of ways. The tourists bring revenue by paying for access to the sporting facilities available at the destination. Revenue is also earned as the tourists make use of facilities such as restaurants and hotels in the location of the sporting venue. Delpy (1998) notes that the average sport tourist is relatively affluent meaning that he/she is able to spend a significant amount of money in the host country. The transportation sector also benefits as tourists make use of public means of transportation in the host location.

In addition to the income accrued from sport tourists as they travel to various sporting events, this tourism also leads to the creation of employment opportunities. Daniels (2004) reveals that sports tourism initiatives result in a positive change in the wage income of individuals in the local community. The movement of tourists to a specific location leads to the creation of job opportunities for the host community. Jobs are created in the hospitality industry, which emerges to serve the tourists. There are also employment opportunities since people are needed to maintain the sport facilities.

Sport tourism leads to the development of the infrastructure in the region where the sporting facilities are made. Illum (2012) reveals that significant resources have to be dedicated to building amenities and improving the infrastructure in order to attract tourists. The government invests heavily in good transport and communication links to the sport venues. This investment promotes trade and commerce in the region.

However, there are some negative impacts associated with sports tourism. To begin with, sports tourism may attract a large number of visitors to the host location. This will lead to undesirable outcomes such as increased traffic on the roads, antisocial behavior, littering, and an increase in the noise level (Illum, 2012). The local population might resent these detrimental conditions experienced due to sports tourism.

Hritz and Ross (2010) confirm that some local residents are annoyed by the masses of tourists who visit the destination to participate in or witness sporting events. Even so, the positive impacts of sports tourism lead to a generally positive outlook of the sector by the residents of destination city. Hritz and Ross (2010) state that while the local population is likely to suffer from these negative impacts, the financial gains from the sport tourist dollars make it easy to overlook the negative consequences.

Tourism is one of the most important drivers for the economic growth and development of a nation. This paper set out to discuss the impact of sports tourism to a nation. It began by defining tourism and showing the major contribution that this sector makes to the global economy. The paper has shown that sports tourism is the fastest growing market segment in the tourism industry and as such, countries derive significant economic benefits from it. Nations should therefore increase their investments in sports tourism in order to benefit from the significant revenue from this sector.

Daniels, M. (2004). Beyond input-output analysis: Using occupation-based modeling to estimate wages generated by a sports tourism event. Journal of Travel Research, 43 (1), 75-82.

Delpy, L. (1998). An overview of sports tourism: Building towards a dimensional framework. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 4 (1), 23-38.

Hritz, N., & Ross, C. (2010). The Perceived Impacts of Sport Tourism: An Urban Host Community Perspective. Journal of Sport Management , 24 (2), 119-138.

Illum, S. (2012). Sport Tourism Development. Tourism Management, 33 (6), 1604-1605.

Kim, N., & Chalip, L. (2004). Why travel to the FIFA World Cup? Effects of motives, background, interest, and constraints. Tourism Management, 25 (6), 695-707.

World Tourism Organization (2014). Tourism Highlights. Web.

Cite this paper

Select a referencing style

Chicago (N-B)
Chicago (A-D)

AssignZen. (2023, April 17). The Impact of Sports Tourism on Countries. https://assignzen.com/the-impact-of-sports-tourism-on-countries/

"The Impact of Sports Tourism on Countries." AssignZen , 17 Apr. 2023, assignzen.com/the-impact-of-sports-tourism-on-countries/.

1. AssignZen . "The Impact of Sports Tourism on Countries." April 17, 2023. https://assignzen.com/the-impact-of-sports-tourism-on-countries/.

Bibliography

AssignZen . "The Impact of Sports Tourism on Countries." April 17, 2023. https://assignzen.com/the-impact-of-sports-tourism-on-countries/.

AssignZen . 2023. "The Impact of Sports Tourism on Countries." April 17, 2023. https://assignzen.com/the-impact-of-sports-tourism-on-countries/.

AssignZen . (2023) 'The Impact of Sports Tourism on Countries'. 17 April.

This report on The Impact of Sports Tourism on Countries was written and submitted by your fellow student. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly.

If you are the original creator of this paper and no longer wish to have it published on Asignzen, request the removal .

Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer.

To browse Academia.edu and the wider internet faster and more securely, please take a few seconds to upgrade your browser .

Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link.

We're Hiring!
Help Center

Argumentative Essay - Extreme Sports Tourism A profitable growth of a niche market

2018, Jakob Trost

Related Papers

Susan Houge Mackenzie

STC'16 Sport Tourism Conference - Red, green and blue strategies

Petra Barišić

Major sports events with a long tradition, established reputation and international media profile like the FIBA EuroBasket competition have always attracted both domestic and foreign visitors. A greater number of visitors generate greater consumption, which ultimately leads to positive economic benefits for the host region. Consequently, cities and countries compete for the right to host these events, being aware of the significance of the well-targeted promotional activities. The sports event promotion is a key factor when it comes to the number of tickets sold. It also directly contributes to the event's brand and influences attendance rates, its media representation and brand exposure. To that end, the purpose of this paper is to analyse the promotional campaign of FIBA EuroBasket 2015. Although the competition took place in four different countries, namely, Croatia, France, Germany, and Latvia, this paper focuses only on the elements of the sports promotional mix applied in the Croatian part of EuroBasket 2015. Specifically, it conducts a qualitative case study of the overall promotion and the individual elements of the sports promotional mix for that competition. The results show that six out of seven elements of the sports promotional mix were included in the event’s general promotion - advertising, publicity, personal contact, incentives, atmospherics and sponsorship. The element found lacking was licensing. The study gives managers a valuable insight into (in) effective management of sports events promotion and the individual elements of the promotional mix.

Journal of Sport & Tourism

Tonia Gray , Greg Downey

Annals of Leisure Research

Sean Gammon , Derek VAN RHEENEN

Eric Brymer , Vinathe Sharma-brymer

This study explored a veteran female BASE jumper’s experiences in relation to (a) participation phases, motivations and emotions; (b) risk perceptions and psychological management strategies; (c) psychological effects of accidents and fatalities on risk appraisals and her protective frame; and (d) psychological health and personal development benefits of extreme sport participation. Interview data revealed multifaceted motivations for BASE jumping that evolved over time. Emotion induction and pleasant psychological experiences associated with BASE jumping contributed to psychological health, well-being and personal development, while coping with negative experiences and dynamic risk perceptions fostered mental strength and resilience. Continued participation following negative experiences highlighted the importance of protective frames in facilitating positive extreme sport experiences. Findings suggested that BASE jumping motivations and experiences may be more complex and multifaceted than currently conceptualised, and that extreme sport has the potential to promote psychological health and personal development in ways that are often overlooked.

Gál Tünde , Florentina-Ștefania Neagu

Events are important motivators of the tourism industry and are often embedded in the development and marketing plans of destinations. Sport events became an increasingly important subcategory of 'event tourism' in the last decades, therefore the current paper aims to simultaneously analyze the positive and negative impacts of sport event tourism. As the actual political and economical situation shape in high level these events and correspondingly the host community, the participants, the local economy and the environment, these circumstances have to be researched on a regular basis. Given that, the highest impact on can be traced regarding mega-sport event tourism, the current research focuses mainly on these events, but not neglecting the importance of small-scale events on the market. The research methodology used is descriptive, based especially on bibliographic documentation over time: research articles, official impact reports, national and international statistics. Results indicate, that the last decade has brought several changes in the judgement of mega-event organization, more emphasis being on the implementation of sustainability principles, the reduction of negative social and environmental aspects that the events and the spectators can have on the host community, but still, many of these efforts are shown only on paper and less in practice.

Eric Brymer

Participation in extreme sports is continuing to grow, yet there is still little understanding of participant motivations in such sports. The purpose of this paper is to report on one aspect of motivation in extreme sports, the search for freedom. The study utilized a hermeneutic phenomenological methodology. Fifteen international extreme sport participants who participated in sports such as BASE jumping, big wave surfing, extreme mountaineering, extreme skiing, rope free climbing and waterfall kayaking were interviewed about their experience of participating in an extreme sport. Results reveal six elements of freedom: freedom from constraints, freedom as movement, freedom as letting go of the need for control, freedom as the release of fear, freedom as being at one, and finally freedom as choice and responsibility. The findings reveal that motivations in extreme sport do not simply mirror traditional images of risk taking and adrenaline and that motivations in extreme sports also include an exploration of the ways in which humans seek fundamental human values.

Currently, there are various definitions for extreme sports and researchers in the field have been unable to advance a consensus on what exactly constitutes an ‘extreme’ sport. Traditional theory-led explanations, such as edgeworks, sensation seeking and psychoanalysis, have led to inadequate conceptions. These frameworks have failed to capture the depth and nuances of experiences of individuals who refute the notions of risk-taking, adrenaline- and thrill-seeking or death-defiance. Instead, participants are reported to describe experiences as positive, deeply meaningful and life-enhancing. The constant evolution of emerging participation styles and philosophies, expressed within and across distinguishable extreme sport niches, or forms of life, and confusingly dissimilar definitions and explanations, indicate that, to better understand cognitions, perceptions and actions of extreme sport participants, a different level of analysis to traditional approaches needs to be emphasized. This paper develops the claim that a more effective definition, reflecting the phenomenology, and framework of an ecological dynamics rationale, can significantly advance the development of a more comprehensive and nuanced future direction for research and practice. Practical implications of such a rationale include study designs, representative experimental analyses and developments in coaching practices and pedagogical approaches in extreme sports. Our position statement suggests that extreme sports are more effectively defined as emergent forms of action and adventure sports, consisting of an inimitable person-environment relationship with exquisite affordances for ultimate perception and movement experiences, leading to existential reflection and self-actualization as framed by the human form of life.

Essay On Sports Tourism

Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION Background of the Study Sports tourism is a generalized type of concept. It points out to its indirect and direct benefits on tourism and the consumer, who is the one who travels to see or participate in sports-related activities and events (Sports Tourism, 2014). In addition, sports tourism is a division of an industry producing capital, doing work, and creating the image of a particular place (Durbacea-Bolovan, 2013). In the United States, a joint venture of Blue Collar Country and the city of Foley in Alabama will invest in a sports tourism project that highlights 16 multi-purpose athletic fields and a one-hectare events center. The events center includes an open space which can accommodate more than 10 basketball and volleyball courts, concerts, and conventions. Foley’s Executive Director Sports Don Stanley said that the project gives positive news for the city, continuing economic developments and creating more jobs (Anderson, 2014). Sports tourism in the Philippines still remains a long way off winning to raise country’s standing in the global sports industry. Although the …show more content…

The Cotabato City Sports Tourism Complex would be the answer to the city’s needs of providing a ground for the athletes to train with much advanced and improve facilities, a better venue for sporting events to serve the city as sports capital in the region, and to gain more tourists from different parts of the country to come and watch games that would generate the tourism and economic industry. In addition, this would improve the lives of local communities and lift up the image of Cotabato

Analysis Of March Madness: The NCAA Men's Basketball

The NCAA men’s basketball championship is a showcase sporting event that affords institutions to the ability to showcase the talents of its athletics department, while providing fans with the opportunity to be a part of something larger than themselves. Communities who host NCAA basketball events offer those in the community with a chance to experience, in person, what millions of fans experience in the month of March. March Madness is a compilation of 67 college basketball games, within a two-and-a-half-week period, that takes place in 14 cities around the country, annually. To watch a game, live, can be a once in a lifetime chance for fans, as well as players who participate in the Madness. If a city is given the opportunity to host the

Examples Of Legacies For Brisbane

Admittedly, the success of legacy lies on the excellent coordination between various organizations, an ad hoc department should guarantee the vision of legacies in the right direction. 2) In order to increasingly boost tourism industry after Olympic Games, a specific leveraging strategy will be established in advance of the event, most importantly, will be implemented in both pre- and post-Games period for seizing opportunities and gaining maximal benefits. Specifically, the leveraging program will utilize the synergy effect of Olympic Games itself and other assets of Brisbane such as tourist attractions, indigenous culture and traditions to increase awareness and destination image, and further create sustainable tourism

Charlotte Hornets And TWCA Economic Impact

The operation of the Charlotte Hornets team and facilities and the TWCA is a positive impact for the Charlotte and Mecklenburg County areas due to the employment opportunities that are aligned with the arena and facilities. In addition the fans that travel from outside the local boost the economy when they stay in local hotels, eat at local establishments and bring their financial contribution to the community while attending sporting or entertainment events. The economic impact is not just limited to Charlotte, the state of North Carolina benefits greatly from the operation of the Charlotte Hornets and the Time Warner Cable Center. During a time where many people are experiencing unemployment and financial difficulties, having facilities and arenas that generate revenue that opens up various employment opportunities ranging from business class positions to the food industry and other service industry

Circleville Argument Analysis

The event’s leaders also used freedom of speech by encouraging attendees to listen to the approaching town meeting. Following this article was another piece printed two days after The Circleville Long Range and Strategic Planning Committee discussed again the park’s future. Here, chairman Mike Logan proposed that the city pool should be moved to where the old Circleville middle school was located. Logan brought up the points that parking would be available, and there would be room to develop the pool. He also made it clear that he was a supporter of keeping a city pool in Circleville, and would fund its creation to the best of his ability.

The Negative Effects Of Hosting The Olympics

Abandoned Olympic venues decay despite promises to restore them in Rio. (Drehs and Lajolo 2). In Pyeongchang, 58,000 trees in a virgin forest were removed (McCurry 3). Even though cities bid millions to host the Olympics, hosting the Olympics produces negative impacts on the overall economy, the development of the city, and the environment of the host city and its surrounding areas; thus, all these effects indicate that the Olympics may not be worth hosting.

Atlantic City Essay

Las Vegas has remained a dominant vacation destination. “people go just as much for shopping, partying, restaurants, and shows as they do for gambling” (Hoium 1). When considering revenue alone, only one third of income that Las Vegas brings in is solely from gambling, where as, in Atlantic City almost sixty percent of their revenue is dependent upon the gambling industry. Atlantic City needs to shift the focus from gambling to family oriented events. If the City can create a family atmosphere with shopping, restaurants, kid-friendly attractions, and nightlife, they will have the whole

Gil's Sportsplex Analysis

In his essay “Gil’s Sportsplex”, Gil Fried states that Gil Giles is always obsessed with softball and thus, he tends to invest a sportsplex after he retired (1). Fried introduces Gil’s backgrounds that he is a former police officer without any experiences in running a sports facility (2). Elsewhere, Fried demonstrates various industry analyses about sportaplex, for example, the definition of sportsplex is a facility offering multiple indoor and outdoor sports (2), and the “Sportsplex Operators and Developers Association (SODA)” propose some guidelines for implementing a sportsplex, such as “developing a needs assessment, feasibility study and preliminary design”(2). In addition, Fried cites CT sportsplex information, which includes the location, population, the charging fees, sponsorship packages, and the competing component research, as a frame example for Gil’s sportsplex (3-4).

Pros And Cons Of Municipal Bond Investments

Sports are something most Americans can relate to; many of us played some type of sport as a kid and some of us are die-hard fans. Sports have developed with us as a society and have become an interwoven piece of our culture and their effects can be seen in many cities countrywide. The facilities where these teams play can become a centerpiece of the local community and the teams themselves can bring people from all walks of life together in search of one mutual goal, for their team to win. The controversy arises when it comes to how many professional stadiums are routinely being funded and whether taxpayers should foot the multi-billion-dollar bill. This has not always been a controversy, however, as prior to 1953 stadiums were largely funded

Sports In The 1970s Essay

1970s and Sports The 70s were a time of disco, polyester suites, pet rocks, but also a time that many felt self-absorbed and challenging. Generally speaking, they were mostly the time of political justice and the rights of women and African Americans. Therefore as the U.S got more in the 70s, they found themselves to be sinking down into a difficult situation of political corruption. 1970s Historical, Social, and Political Events

Japanese Tourism Impact

From the above chart, it can be assumed that hosting an international event such as Olympic Games leads a country’s medium to long term commitment to greater international openness and, hence, there is the expectations for the economy growth. As being said, it is highly likely that hosting the Tokyo Olympics, together with a new policy support will have positive effects on the Japanese economy. The reason behind the success of 1964 Tokyo Olympic will be discussed in case study in detail. Positive Impact on Japan’s Tourism “The main goal of developing tourism industry in a community is maximizing selected positive impacts while minimizing potential negative impacts” (Rose & Spiegel, 2011). Therefore, it is essential to identify the possible impacts.

Compare And Contrast American And Olympic Games Essay

It can be said that the Olympic and Paralympic games serve as a vehicle for expressing British national and cultural identity. Personally, I agree as well as disagree with this sentiment. I believe that the spirit of the Olympic and Paralympic games are determinant upon the host city of the games. So, in regards to the most recent Olympic and Paralympic games, which took place in London and its surrounding areas, yes, the games served as a vehicle for expressing British national and cultural identity. However, with the upcoming games taking place in Rio de Janeiro the games will not express British national and cultural identity, it will express Brazilian national and cultural identity.

Essay On Playing Sports

How Competitive Sports is Beneficial Children at a young age have a lot of energy, To solve that problem, they are sometimes put into a competitive sports team. Many will disagree and say that this is unacceptable , while others say that it is beneficial. Children should be able to be put in sport teams because most children play sports as a passion,and it not only benefits them with being athletic and healthy, It's also favorable to children because only its a game, it also teaches children morals, and life lessons. One reason Children should be able to play sports, is that playing sports is beneficial to the kids health.

Essay On Sports And Visual Arts

Value of Sports and Visual Arts In today's society, high school sports are highly valued. With sports comes recognition, good health, and so much more. Although sports provide many positives for growing teens, they are too glorified. Too much funding and support from schools and communities go into the sports program, and while many programs out of school allow kids to take part in sports, rarely are there any that involve acting, music, and art.

Social, Social And Economic Benefits Of Tourism

At the world conference held in Manila on tourism in 1980, importance of tourism and its effects were recognized in the declaration, which stated as; ‘’tourism is an essential activity both on the life of the nation since its direct and indirect effects on economical, social, cultural, and educational sectors of the society and their international relations’’. Economic benefits of tourism 1. Contribution to Gross Domestic Product; Tourism is being one of the world’s largest industries and contributes directly and indirectly (total contribution) to the global economy. Its contribution to GDP growth reflects the total spending within a particular country by residents or neon residents for business or leisure purposes as well as government spending on tourism goods and services which linked to visitors. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council

Importance Of Sports In The Philippines

According to Senator Pia Cayetano that it is time that the administration should start supporting sports programs seriously (Gutierrez, 2012). Indeed, Filipino athletes are more likely to win at international competitions with improved sports equipment and

More about Essay On Sports Tourism

To read this content please select one of the options below:

Please note you do not have access to teaching notes, an overall assessment of sports tourism articles.

Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights

ISSN : 2514-9792

Article publication date: 22 October 2020

Issue publication date: 2 November 2021

The purpose of this study aims to examine sports tourism through a conceptual lens. The study offers a deep assessment of the general structure and purpose of sports tourism. Thus, the authors aim to determine the contributions of scientific studies in the field of sports tourism to sports tourism literature.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative research design was created and data collected using document analysis. The research articles were categorized and analyzed according to their objectives, journals of publication, keywords, application areas, research methods used, data collection techniques and findings

It was been determined that the research articles in the field of sports tourism contributed significantly to the sports tourism literature and to the cumulative progress of the field.

Research limitations/implications

The implications of this study is that only publications in the field of sports tourism (in the tourism category) indexed in the Web of Science between 2014 and 2018 were examined.

Practical implications

Studies to be carried out in the field of sports tourism should be seen as continuations, rather than repetitions, of one another. Thus, more information about the field of sports tourism is needed to better articulate the structure of the field for the benefit of future researchers.

Social implications

There is a need for studies to contribute to the development of sports tourism in the literature. This study aims to take a step in this direction. With the increase of activities to be carried out in both the field and practice of sports tourism, a better relationship will be established between sports, local people and relevant stakeholders.

Originality/value

More theoretical studies in this field (Gibson, 1998a; Soedjatmiko, 2015) suggest that the field of sports tourism can be further developed. In light of this call, the present study will provide an overview of sports tourism research as a whole, thus contributing to future research by its own merits. It will guide the authors to determine how activities in the field of sports tourism have grown and how they are progressing

Sports tourism
Research articles
Document analysis

Mesci, M. , Pekerşen, Y. and Mesci, Z. (2021), "An overall assessment of sports tourism articles", Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights , Vol. 4 No. 5, pp. 676-707. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTI-04-2020-0054

Emerald Publishing Limited

We’re listening — tell us what you think, something didn’t work….

Report bugs here

All feedback is valuable

Please share your general feedback

Join us on our journey

Platform update page.

Visit emeraldpublishing.com/platformupdate to discover the latest news and updates

Questions & More Information

Answers to the most commonly asked questions here

What Is Sports Tourism?

Senior Reporter, HuffPost Life

Sports tourism can encompass many travel styles.

There’s been a lot of buzz lately in the travel industry about “gig-tripping,” as fans of Taylor Swift and other musical artists plan vacations all around the world just for the live concert experience.

Meanwhile, another experience-driven trend is also on the rise: sports tourism. Whether you’re an athlete yourself or just a big fan, you might want to consider this approach to travel.

So what exactly is sports tourism, and what does it involve? Below, industry experts break down the benefits and downsides.

What is sports tourism?

“‘Sports tourism’ refers to when individuals plan their travel tied to specific sporting events, typically to spectate but, depending on the event, it could include participation as well,” said Carolyn Addison, the head of product at travel company Black Tomato . “Some of the classic examples are the Olympics and we’ve often seen this type of travel for events like F1 [Formula One racing] or the Tour de France.”

Sports tourism can sometimes involve venturing to a different city to watch a regular-season away game for your favorite team. Or you might travel to participate in your own athletic endeavor, like a marathon or team competition.

“Sports tourism ranges all the way from youth sports to professional leagues,” said Nate Hardesty, the managing director of the Thompson Austin and Tommie Austin hotels in Texas. “For instance, we see so many families traveling around the country for tournaments that it’s become their spring break or summer trip. The same goes for collegiate and professional sports. We see so many fans follow their teams around the country and take the opportunity to check out the destination while they are here.”

If you live in a popular sports market, it might be easier to get good tickets to your team’s away game in another city. Some people also just like to merge their love of travel and sports into one experience.

Although taking a trip for a sporting event is not a brand-new phenomenon, more fans seem eager to have these kinds of experiences after being forced to stay at home amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“People have been traveling for sports for years,” Hardesty noted. “However, experiential tourism has skyrocketed post-COVID.”

The popularity of shows like “Formula 1: Drive To Survive,” which gives a behind-the-scenes look at the world of auto racing, and “Welcome to Wrexham,” a docuseries about a Welsh soccer team, has also sparked greater interest in professional sports experiences.

The sports documentary movement has now expanded to golf with “Full Swing,” as well as to football with “Quarterback.” And with the buzz around the new sports drama “Challengers,” perhaps we’ll see more travelers planning trips around big tennis tournaments.

Racing fans travel from around the world to attend Formula One events.

What are the benefits?

“We find that planning a trip around a sporting event gives a nice framework and intention to an itinerary,” Addison said. “Special events can also be a compelling way to interact with locals in a way that feels spontaneous and unforced.”

She pointed to the powerful energy in crowds at big events and the opportunity to bond with people who have similar interests. Sports tourism might take you to an exciting destination you wouldn’t have otherwise visited.

“You’re crafting your trip around a pivotal core memory and occasion which is supplemented by other local attractions, creating a comprehensive travel experience,” added Nikki Glass, the general manager at The Sawyer in Sacramento, California.

She noted that many sports tourism destinations have made efforts to ramp up various attractions and offerings around sporting events to give fans a multifaceted travel experience.

“These travelers tend to stay in their destination for extended periods to immerse themselves in the cultural tapestry and urban milieu, from vibrant dining scenes to museums and green spaces,” Glass said. “Sports tourists are tapping into it all.”

What are the downsides?

“There can be some additional challenges around planning travel during a major event,” Addison said. “Crowds and traffic can make the overall travel experience less enjoyable, and properties often impose higher rates and/or longer minimum stays.”

She emphasized the importance of advance planning to secure hotel reservations, airfare and tickets for sporting events.

“Sometimes the availability will be tight, and you need to book as soon as you can to get the best available rate,” echoed Lisa Bush, the director of sales and marketing at Thompson Nashville in Tennessee. “The last-minute booker usually learns that procrastination is not the best.”

Expect longer wait times and higher costs for things like accommodation and transportation. If you plan a trip based around sports tourism, you might find yourself in overcrowded areas that aren’t always equipped to deal with a surge of people. And you may have to put in extra effort to get an authentic local experience during times when so many tourists have taken over a destination.

Our 2024 Coverage Needs You

It's another trump-biden showdown — and we need your help, the future of democracy is at stake, your loyalty means the world to us.

As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.

Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.

Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.

Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.

The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?

HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.

It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.

But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.

Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.

Dear HuffPost Reader

Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.

The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?

The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.

Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.

Popular in the Community

From our partner, huffpost shopping’s best finds, more in life.

A Strategic Approach To Sport Tourism

Two federal initiatives are in the works that will guide the future of sport tourism in Canada: A post-pandemic Federal Tourism Growth Strategy and the renewal of the 10-year Canadian Sport Policy. We asked GRANT MACDONALD, former chief operating officer, Sport Tourism Canada (STC), to elaborate on key recommendations STC has put forward on behalf of the sector.

By Angela Kryhul

September 14, 2022

Recommendation: Lead the alignment across governments, with the inclusion of lead organizations/departments, for sport, economic development, community/social development and climate change action.

Grant MacDonald: Perhaps the greatest opportunity is to connect not just those two policies [the Federal Tourism Growth Strategy and the Canadian Sport Policy], but the entire ecosystem so that everybody knows who can support, who can help and who can guide. It’s not just about one ministry, one department or one agency owning the sport tourism portfolio. And that alignment needs to happen vertically from federal down to the municipal level and horizontally across governments.

Ultimately, we want to ensure that Canada is a leading sports nation. We need to ensure that governments and agencies at the federal, provincial, territorial and municipal levels have the information they need in order to provide support for good sporting event projects to be developed, whether they’re homegrown or international events.

It’s happening in some cases, but I don’t think it’s happening by design. We’d like to be more systemic so that people understand what sport tourism is and they see the opportunities within it.

Recommendation: Develop consistent standards and methodology for the identification and evaluation of key sport event impacts and enable access to approved tools and resources as open source to the entire sport hosting ecosystem in Canada.

GM: One of the learnings from the pandemic is that the industry needs more data. It’s been a bit all over the place, including multiple economic impact models in Canada. We need highly accurate, current data to tell us what the impact of sport tourism is in this country, because I don’t think it’s truly understood.

Right now there isn’t [an accessible data platform] at the provincial or national level. We should have a national data platform that tells us how many events are happening by province, by region within provinces and by sport. We also need to overlay the social and environmental impacts onto the economic impact because we know that a value offered by sport events, that other tourism sectors just don’t have, is the ability to connect with residents in a host community, to grow a sport within that community and to use sport as a platform to achieve many other outcomes beyond just heads in beds.

Recommendation: Protect Canada’s competitiveness in the supply chain for sport events against non-Canadian firms supporting the concept development, bidding, planning and delivery of sport events in Canada.

GM: There is an opportunity for Canada to be a leader in the provision of goods and services to the events that are planned and possible over the next decade. This means ensuring Canadian companies are aware of the opportunities and providing a platform so they can access RFPs or contracts in all parts of the country [and ultimately] to help rebuild the Canadian economy.

We want to ensure that the types of local supplier systems put in place for the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the Toronto Pan-Am Games can be available for provincial and national championships so that Canadian companies know what’s coming down the pike, because there isn’t a system in place that’s specific to sport event hosting.

Recommendation: Position Canada for future sport tourism growth by selling Canada and creating the opportunity for communities of all sizes to sell themselves and access new sport event business.

GM: When it comes to sport, we rally around a particular bid, but we don’t have that consistent thread of how Canada shows up to the rest of the world. When we’re selling our country, we often leave it to our local groups or local organizing committees. We’re great hosts… but we could be more consistent in our approach to winning business and to selling Canada.

Destination Canada has been a great partner to sport tourism by providing a look and feel on past international trade missions for a Team Canada approach. We can be more consistent in where we go and for what outcomes, and to do so with purpose, with everybody already on board and not trying to build that partnership each time we take Canada to market.

If anybody wants to take Canada to the world, they should have a toolkit at the ready so that they can project the same confidence and standards regardless of whether they’re bidding for a small single-sport event or a large mega event.

Recommendation: The sport tourism sector requires an organization that has the resources to lead and support the growth of sport events in Canada, for all provinces and territories and communities of all sizes.

GM: We endorse that an organization should be leading the Canadian sport tourism sector and should be resourced to be able to do so effectively. Who that should be is an ongoing discussion and we’re not making assumptions that it necessarily needs to be the way it was up until 2019.

We need to build awareness, trust and credibility with all levels of government. As a sector, we need to be very intentional about how we do it. Through the [recent federal recommendation] process, we have moved the needle to create more awareness.

We’re just at a milestone marker of what the future of sport tourism can be. We would like to inform a two-way conversation that ultimately builds awareness, credibility and a future sport hosting system that contributes to communities, economies, sport and business across this country, 52 weeks of the year.

The Canadian Sport Policy is set to be renewed in February 2023. This policy helps identify Canadian sport priorities and guides how federal, provincial and territorial governments advance sport (including funding decisions) for the next 20 years (2023 to 2033).

Canada is developing a new Federal Tourism Growth Strategy that will plot a course for growth, investment and stability, with a focus on labour gaps and instability, investment attraction and destination development, and long-term economic growth across the country.

Canada in the Global Sports Media Landscape

Does social media impact athlete performance?

Understanding Sports Waivers

Tourism: Eco, Sports, Culture, Space Essay

When tourism is mentioned, many people have the notion that one has to go to a foreign country for a couple of weeks to relax and enjoy the scenery. To some extent that is true, but one can have equal fun by just visiting the rural areas or going to watch a football match in a stadium. Tourism comes in many forms, there is the normal visit to a national park, or somewhere nature is in its most pure form. Other tourists might prefer to go to the ends of the world just to see and experience the different kinds of lifestyles experienced by other people.

Others find no better way of spending their free time other than watching their favorite soccer team play in the stadium. For the few billionaires in this world, they might want to brag by visiting a space station and taking a space walk. Finally, for those who love to stay indoors, they can do so in a museum or a cultural center where they can watch plays. Tourism has spread in almost every corner of the earth, this means that one does not need to travel to faraway lands (Pacific Asia Tourism, 2010).

In this day and age, tourism is among the biggest and vibrant developing sectors of a nation’s economic activity. Tourism is present in almost every part of the earth, including remote areas and even unexplored territories (Pacific Asia Tourism, 2010). As a result, there has been a significant investment in ensuring existence of tourism by developing relevant infrastructure, educating citizens on tourism and maintaining culture. This paper will examine various categories of tourism and their economic impact.

Of all types of tourism, ecotourism remains the most memorable to many. If you are an American or a European, chances are that the largest animal you have ever seen is a rabbit, and if you are more outgoing; a turkey. That is not the case if you happen to be a Kenyan Maasai probably living in or around a national park.

Most westerners coming to Kenya usually envision country roads, unfamiliar languages, probably hostile people and wild animals roaming everywhere. In fact, foreigners think they will be welcomed by an elephant at the airport. That is not entirely true, many people there speak English and are very friendly, plus the food is fantastic. They call roasted meat ‘nyama choma’ and from the way they prepare it’s quite a delicacy (United Nations Environment Programme, 2008).

Ecotourism, also known as nature tourism, is where tourists visit areas which are still natural and unaffected by human activities. Tourists get a chance to see how animals and plants thrive in the natural world. Of all known types of tourism, ecotourism attracts the most number of people, thereby becoming the largest generator of revenue in the tourism industry. Tourists entering in selected areas of nature attractions, such as national parks, have to pay an entrance fee which contributes to a nation’s revenue (Pacific Asia Tourism, 2010).

In the parks, there are guides who have been employed to direct and guide tourists. In the parks or in the surrounding areas, hotels and recreational facilities have been built; consequently employing a number of individuals. Other ways in which ecotourism improves the economy of a region, is that it ensures the development of infrastructure such as roads, hospitals, bridges and so on.

The Tsavo National park is huge and hosts a variety of wild animals. During mid-day at a pond, the small herbivores like antelopes are the first to arrive, followed by zebras and wild beasts. From the way they share water, you would think they had signed a peace treaty, they drink water calmly and the adults ensure that their young ones do not get lost among other animals. From a distance lions and lioness lay down watching. It may seem like they are selecting what they will have for lunch or maybe they have nothing else better to look at.

After a short while they start approaching the pond together. Surprisingly, the other herbivores do not jump up in frenzy but cautiously walk away from the pond. Sadly though, the lions this time do not provide an action of hunting like what is seen in National Geographic channel, instead they just go to drink water. It is true what they say; a lion is indeed the king of the jungle. The grass is green and that makes deer hope up in joy once in a while (United Nations Environment Programme, 2008).

The type of accommodation provided in Tsavo is of world class quality, from the beds to the drinking water and food. The lounges are built mostly from wood and they provide a feeling of being in a jungle. The balcony gives tourists a chance to view one of the most spectacular sites during sunset, the giraffes, elephants and trees form the most unbelievable sites (WTTC, 2010).

In Europe, especially England, people practically worship soccer. People talk about soccer all the time such that among the first words a child learns is a name of a club like Manchester united or Arsenal.

Soccer fans do not regard themselves as tourist, but they fit the category of sports tourism since they spent money to go and watch soccer matches in stadiums. In these large soccer stadiums, there are shops and almost all kinds of snacks and juices are sold. Alcohol is not allowed since the reaction of a drunken fun whose team has lost is unpredictable and most likely, catastrophic.

During the match, one realizes why people spend a lot of money to come to the stadium rather than watch the game on television. The feeling in which fans instill themselves is the very reason why they come to the stadium. Fans come wearing their respective team’s jersey and other team associated merchandise. During the game fans hold each other sing and shout all in support of their team.

Sometimes fights usually occur out of apparent no reason but luckily there are security guards who ensure that peace is maintained among the fans and players. Professional players make millions of dollars by participating in these games in fantastic stadiums. These stadiums are designed in ways which they can accommodate different sports and also host events, making them multi-purpose structure (WTTC, 2010).

Sports tourism arises when people travel from different regions to one location where a sport event is taking place. A good example was the influx of people in South Africa during the 2010 world cup finals. In recent years, there has been a tremendous increase in the building of sporting amenities. It is projected that by investing in sports, the economy will be improved through sales of tickets, employment and generation of revenues through tax.

Major sports actions in USA such as baseball and super bowl have become multibillion dollar industries. Professional players make millions of dollars by participating in these games in fantastic stadiums. Sports stadiums are designed in ways which can accommodate different sports and also host events, making them a multi-purpose structure (WTTC, 2010).

One of the best ways to explore cultures and learn a little bit of history is by visiting a museum. One good example of such a museum is the Houston Museum of Natural Science. As its name suggests, this museum offers a chance to explore how the ancient world of dinosaurs was like. Inside the museum there are numerous displays of objects from the Paleozoic era to yesterdays. There is an exhibition of Tyrannosaurus Rex, which is believed to be the biggest flesh eating predator to have ever lived on the planet.

It is scary to look at and the children are usually afraid to go near its exhibition. There is also a spectacular display of the Dipocus, which apparently had really weak jaws. It is evident that the Dipocus must have been a vegetarian because of its weak jaws and it was 77ft long and 11ft tall and weighed close to 14 tons. To understand the timeline of these pre-historic animals, the museum has a graph depicting their names and age (World Tourism Organisation , 2009).

The culture tourism arises from the fact that humans from different regions of the world have differing ways of lifestyle. Culture tourists are fascinated by how people can have such different types of lifestyles. Culture tourism also includes arts and film industry and visiting historical and rural areas. It is estimated that in United States 10% of its labor is employed directly or indirectly by culture tourism. This type of tourism earns the country a substantial amount of foreign income, at the same time boosting tourism infrastructure.

Since this type of tourism is present even in marginal areas, it brings employment to the people in rural areas and improves associated travel sectors such as accommodation and transport (World Tourism Organisation , 2009). Local airlines and shipping sectors are kept in business and continue to grow. It also provides awareness on the type of culture that has existed in different parts of the world.

Only a handful of people have ever had the chance to visit the space as tourist. It costs around 25 million US dollars for a single trip, so chances of you getting there are close to none. The best one can do is visit the space center in Florida. In the center there are many displays of space gismos.

Samples of materials believed to have come from space are displayed for the public to see, sadly though they are all rocks and that does not make a major difference to people since there are numerous rocks on earth. The Orion space vehicle and Ares launch vehicle look fantastic and by just looking at them one would think they are capable of doing the most sophisticated thing a vehicle can do (World Tourism Organisation , 2009).

Lately investors have cut money on space research and exploration, even the dreams of returning a man to the moon have diminished. The united states then has become like russia; operating on borrowed money.

What has been left in space exploration will paharps be taken over by the chineese. Many americans who have visited this space center, do not leave with a sense of pride. Space exploration is one area that the Americans have always been advanced in, and now it seems nobody really cares about it anymore (Ecotourism Society, 2006).

In conclusion, the impact of tourism on the local residents has been negative and positive whether analyzed economically or socially. Every region has a potential of being a tourist attraction, and the effects will be positive as long as a certain limit is not surpassed (Ecotourism Society, 2006).

If a region is capable of handling say 500 tourists, this limit should not be exceeded. If it is exceeded, the effects would be negative since the facilities would not accommodate any more and will leave the area polluted and the infrastructure quality will deteriorate (Ecotourism Society, 2006).

Ecotourism Society. (2006). The International Ecotourism Society – Uniting Conservation . Web.

Pacific Asia Tourism. (2010). International development via sustainable tourism . Pacific Asia Tourism. Web.

United Nations Environment Programme. (2008). Impacts of tourism and recreation in Africa . The Encyclopedia of Earth. Web.

World Tourism Organisation. (2009). Developing Countries’ Share of the International Tourism Market . Propoor Tourism. Web.

WTTC. (2010). Tourism Recovery . World Travel and Tourism Council. Web.

Chicago (A-D)
Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2024, February 29). Tourism: Eco, Sports, Culture, Space. https://ivypanda.com/essays/tourism-eco-sports-culture-space/

"Tourism: Eco, Sports, Culture, Space." IvyPanda , 29 Feb. 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/tourism-eco-sports-culture-space/.

IvyPanda . (2024) 'Tourism: Eco, Sports, Culture, Space'. 29 February.

IvyPanda . 2024. "Tourism: Eco, Sports, Culture, Space." February 29, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/tourism-eco-sports-culture-space/.

1. IvyPanda . "Tourism: Eco, Sports, Culture, Space." February 29, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/tourism-eco-sports-culture-space/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Tourism: Eco, Sports, Culture, Space." February 29, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/tourism-eco-sports-culture-space/.

Eco-Tourism Activities in New Zealand
Ecotourism Resort at the Amazon: Amazon Eco-Tourist Resort
Ecotourism in Mauritius: How to Have an Eco-Friendly Holiday
Sex Tourism Concept
Tourism: Current and Future Trends
Socio-Cultural Concept in Tourism: Social and Cultural Factors
International Travel Plan: Greece
Environmental Impacts of Cruise Tourism

Tourism Essay for Students and Children

500+ Words Essay on Tourism

Tourism Essay – Tourism is a major economic activity that has developed significantly over the years. It’s an activity that can be recognized in both developed and developing nations. In general terms, tourism is the movement of a person from one place to another to visit and mesmerize the beauty of that place or to have fun. Moreover, the concept of traveling is considered a luxury and only people with higher income can afford this luxury.

The Growth of Tourism

Earlier our ancestors used to travel by sea routes as it was a convenient and most affordable medium but it was time taking. Due to, technological advancement we can now easily travel to any place without wasting time we can travel thousands of miles within a few hours. Technological advancement has shrunk the earth into a global village. Besides, the modern modes are much safer than the modes that our predecessors used.

Effect of Tourism on a Country

For any country, tourism generates a lot of money especially a country like India. Due to the Taj Mahal (one of the seven wonders of the world) every year the government raise a huge sum of revenue. Also, because of tourism other industries also bloom. Such industries include transportation, wildlife, arts and entertainment, accommodation, etc.

Moreover, this ultimately leads to the creation of job and other opportunities in the area. But there are some drawbacks too which can affect the lifestyle and cultural value of the country.

Importance of Tourism

Traveling is a tiring and difficult thing and not everyone is able to travel. But at the same time, it’s a fun activity that takes your tiredness away. Travelling adds flavor to life as you travel to different places that have a different culture and lifestyle. Also, it’s an easy way to learn about the culture and tradition of a place. Besides, for many areas, tourism is their main source of income.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

India- A Tourist Attraction

The Taj Mahal is not the only destination in India that attract tourist. Likewise, there are hundreds of tourist destination that is spread over the Indian plateau. India has a large variety of Flora and Fauna. Besides, the equator divides the geographical land of India into almost two equal halves that make India a country where six seasons occurs.

Moreover, in almost every city of India, there is a historical monument made by the rulers in their time period.

Benefits of Tourism

Tourism not only benefits the government but also the people that live in the local area. It also creates a business as well as employment opportunities for the local people which ultimately help the government to earn income.

Benefits Due to Tourism

As we know that tourism contributes a lot to the revenue of the country. Also, the government uses this income for the growth and development of the country. Likewise, they construct dams, wildlife sanctuaries, national parks, Dharamshala and many more.

In conclusion, we can say that tourism is a very productive activity both for the tourist and the government. As they support each other simultaneously. Also, the government should consider improving the conditions of the country as more and more number of tourist visit their country.

Above all, tourism is one of the fastest-growing industry in the world that has changed the scenario of the world.

Customize your course in 30 seconds

Which class are you in.

Travelling Essay
Picnic Essay
Our Country Essay
My Parents Essay
Essay on Favourite Personality
Essay on Memorable Day of My Life
Essay on Knowledge is Power
Essay on Gurpurab
Essay on My Favourite Season
Essay on Types of Sports

Download the App

From Manila to Budapest, Korean cultural festivals ignite global interest

Visitors experiencing Korean beauty culture during the 2024 Korea Festival in Manila. [MINISTRY OF CULTURE, SPORTS AND TOURISM]

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is holding Korean cultural festivals globally throughout the year, centered around the Korean Cultural Centers overseas.

The cultural centers will organize Korean cultural festivals to attract local interest, providing a venue to introduce Korean products. The festivals aim to expand interest in Korean culture and support the advancement of Korean products in the local market.

Culture ministry, korean culture heads collaborate to boost tourism, influencers bring korean culture to the world at seoulcon 2023, embracing the beauty of korean culture through hanbok: a global trend [photo essay contest].

The cultural center in the Philippines held the 2024 Korea Festival in Manila from May 4 to 5. It was organized with participation from local companies and related organizations, such as the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (Kotra), the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) and the Korea Copyright Protection Agency (Kcopa).

A Korea Copyright Protection Agency (Kcopa) booth promoting copyright protection [MINISTRY OF CULTURE, SPORTS AND TOURISM]

Products from Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor Group, Amore Pacific and small- and medium-sized Korean beauty companies were exhibited. More than 5,000 people visited the venue, including great local interest.

The cultural center in Vietnam will hold a 2024 Korea Culture Day in Can Tho from Oct. 5 to 6, in collaboration with the Korea Agro-Fisheries Trade Corporation. The festival will have booths to promote Korean food, with a promotional center for Korean food distribution and purchasing companies.

The Korean cultural festival, "KoreaON," will be held in Hungary from May 18 to 19 to display and promote special products from Namhae County, South Gyeongsang. “KoreaON” will be held with local government cooperation and serves as a communication channel for Korea-related local companies, including the Budapest Korean Restaurant Council.

Poster for the Korean cultural festival, KoreaON, which will be held in Hungary, May 18 to 19. [MINISTRY OF CULTURE, SPORTS AND TOURISM]

The Cultural Center in Spain will collaborate with the trade center of Kotra Madrid and well-known local department stores to hold the Korean Culture Festival in June. Korean fashion exhibitions will be held, introducing the latest beauty trends in Korea.

"The Cultural Center will continue to collaborate with related ministries, such as the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs for the Korean cultural festivals,” said Yong Ho-sung, head of the International Cultural Affairs and Public Relations Office of the Culture Ministry.

“We will establish a continuous network of links with related organizations, such as Kotra, and local Korean companies to greatly expand support for the overseas expansion of Korean products through culture," he said.

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [[email protected]]

From Manila to Budapest, Korean cultural festivals ignite global interest

IMAGES

(PDF) Sports Tourism and the Development of Sports Events
(PDF) Sport tourism
sports tourism in the uk
Sport Tourism in India Free Essay Example
(PDF) Taking Stock of Sport Tourism Research
Sports tourism Definition main concepts promotion of a

VIDEO

National Sports day essay in English \ Sport day speech in English #sportsday2023
ESSAY ON TOURISM
Dubai: The History and City Development
The Hardest Sport That You Don’t Know About
What Is Tourism Essay In English
Tourism Industry in Nepal essay in English #nepal #tourism

COMMENTS

Sport Tourism: [Essay Example], 569 words GradesFixer
Sport Tourism. According to tourism.gov.ph (2010), 'Sport Tourism is defined as a specific travel outside of the usual environment for either passive or active involvement in competitive sport, where sport is the prime motivated reason for travel and the touristic or leisure element may act to reinforce the overall experience'.
What is sports tourism and why it is so big?
Sports tourism is the act of travelling from one locality to another, with the intention of being in some way involved with a sporting activity or event. Many people believe that sports tourism relates only to watching a sporting event. However, this is not correct. The sports industry is much more than this.
Sport tourism: a perspective article
The purpose of this paper is to review the past 75 years of sports tourism and explore the potential of the next 75 years.,This is a personal perspective paper that reflects upon the emergence and development of the field of sport tourism, contemporary challenges and future pathways.,Research must extend to wider manifestations of sport, and ...
The Development Of Sport Tourism Industry Tourism Essay
1.0 Introduction. Tourism and sports are the emerging trend in today's culture. These trends had been influenced by human social attitudes, technological advancement, economic and political circumstances. Both sport and tourism activities are organized all over the world regardless of national borders.
Sport Tourism as Driving Force for Destinations' Sustainability
Sport tourism is a fast-growing segment of tourism offering new perspectives and supporting travelers' behavior shift towards active living that is a boost for sustainable destinations. These interrelations between active living, active travelling, and sport tourism have a powerful environmental, economic, and social impact. Based on the recognized contribution of sport tourism in sustaining ...
Exploring Sports Tourism: An Introduction Free Essay Example
Views. 2308. 1. Introduction Sports Tourism is defined as a specific travel outside of the usual environment for either passive or active involvement in competitive sport and international sports tournament where sport is the prime motivational reason for travel and the touristic or leisure element may act to reinforce the overall experience.
PDF Sports Tourism: State of the Industry Report (2019)
Sports tourism generated $14.6 billion in tax revenues in 2019, with $6.8 billion accruing to state and local governments. Employment Generator A total of 739,386 jobs were sustained by sports tourism in 2019. This included 410,762 direct and 328,624 indirect and induced jobs. KEY FINDINGS The sports tourism sector is a driver of the U.S. economy
Sports Tourism Essay Example [2552 Words]
Sports Tourism essay example for your inspiration. ️ 2552 words. Read and download unique samples from our free paper database. ... Journal of Sport Tourism, 10, 229-241. Reimer, B. 2004. For the love of England-Scandinavian football supporters, Manchester United and British popular culture.
Sport, Tourism, and Social Impacts
This chapter chronicles some of the developments in sport tourism scholarship over the past 20 years, with a focus on legacy and leveraging, social impacts, and small-scale events. In so doing, topics such as event portfolios, social capital, youth sport, and the impact of COVID-19 are discussed. The growth of event management as a discipline ...
PDF The Impacts of the Winter Olympic Games on SPORT Tourism: A Systematic
39 J-INSTITUTE.com 202 16( ) 39-47 Submission: 2021/02/10, Peer review: 2021/02/20, Accepted: 2021/02/25, Published: 2021/03/30 Kinesiology . ISSN: 2435. Abstract Purpose: Sport Tourism is a driving force for sustainable economic development of tourism destinations.The Winter Olympic Games is a catalyst for this momentum. In order to clearly sort out the impacts of the Winter
Sports tourism
On an international market oscillating between globalization and local retreat, the retrospective study of management and marketing of sports tourism will provide a better understanding of the genesis of contemporary issues and new trends apparently emerging. In the 1980s, the concept of sports tourism appeared in the literature in Europe and ...
Impacts of Sport Tourism in the Urban Regeneration of Host Cities
This essay outlined the benefits of sport tourism in cities using Sheffield as a case-study. As we have seen from the essay, Sheffield experienced urban decay and unemployment (in 1980s) and Labour government thought the best way to rejuvenate the city was to make use of other strategies aside from taxation in developing the city. The city ...
Sport Tourism: An ever-growing sector with high potential for cities
Definition of sport tourism. As defined by Gibson (1998, p. 49), sport tourism is a "leisurebased travel that takes individuals temporarily outside of their home communities to participate and/or watch physical activities or to venerate attractions associated with physical activities". Human beings are born to travel to fulfil their ...
(PDF) Sport Tourism as a Local Economic Development Enhancer for
Sport tourism is seen as an ever-increasing industry, which has significant influences on the economic. and s ocial restructuring of the urban and r ural, areas especially in the emerging d ...
The Impact of Sports Tourism on Countries
The World Tourism Organization (2014) reports that Luxembourg, Bahamas, Bermuda, and Cyprus are examples of countries that heavily depend on tourism to sustain their economies. Sport tourism is a subset of tourism that has huge potential in improving the earnings of a country. Delpy (1998) defines sports tourism as "travel to participate in a ...
Argumentative Essay
Events are important motivators of the tourism industry and are often embedded in the development and marketing plans of destinations. Sport events became an increasingly important subcategory of 'event tourism' in the last decades, therefore the current paper aims to simultaneously analyze the positive and negative impacts of sport event tourism.
Essay On Sports Tourism
Essay On Sports Tourism. 841 Words4 Pages. Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION Background of the Study Sports tourism is a generalized type of concept. It points out to its indirect and direct benefits on tourism and the consumer, who is the one who travels to see or participate in sports-related activities and events (Sports Tourism, 2014).
Economic Impact Of Mega Sports Tourism Essay
Economic Impact Of Mega Sports Tourism Essay. The use of sports markets to explore questions of economic interest has a long history as the majority of this literature analyses US sports, notably American football, basketball, baseball, and ice hockey, whilst there is also a considerable interest in soccer, the leading world sport (For example ...
An overall assessment of sports tourism articles
The study offers a deep assessment of the general structure and purpose of sports tourism. Thus, the authors aim to determine the contributions of scientific studies in the field of sports tourism to sports tourism literature.,A qualitative research design was created and data collected using document analysis.
Sports Tourism Benefits, Explained
Sports tourism might take you to an exciting destination you wouldn't have otherwise visited. "You're crafting your trip around a pivotal core memory and occasion which is supplemented by other local attractions, creating a comprehensive travel experience," added Nikki Glass, the general manager at The Sawyer in Sacramento, California.
Sport Tourism Is A Growing Industry Tourism Essay
Share free summaries, lecture notes, exam prep and more!!
A Strategic Approach To Sport Tourism
Two federal initiatives are in the works that will guide the future of sport tourism in Canada: A post-pandemic Federal Tourism Growth Strategy and the renewal of the 10-year Canadian Sport Policy. We asked GRANT MACDONALD, former chief operating officer, Sport Tourism Canada (STC), to elaborate on key recommendations STC has put forward on ...
Tourism: Eco, Sports, Culture, Space Essay
Tourism is present in almost every part of the earth, including remote areas and even unexplored territories (Pacific Asia Tourism, 2010). As a result, there has been a significant investment in ensuring existence of tourism by developing relevant infrastructure, educating citizens on tourism and maintaining culture.
Tourism Essay for Students and Children
500+ Words Essay on Tourism. Tourism Essay - Tourism is a major economic activity that has developed significantly over the years. It's an activity that can be recognized in both developed and developing nations. In general terms, tourism is the movement of a person from one place to another to visit and mesmerize the beauty of that place ...
From Manila to Budapest, Korean cultural festivals ignite global ...
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is holding Korean cultural festivals globally throughout the year, centered around the Korean Cultural Centers overseas.
Melissa Wood-Tepperberg On Creating a Luxury Beauty Retreat ...
The wellness tourism industry was valued at $814.6 billion in 2022, and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.42% from 2023 to 2030, according to Grand View Research ...

Sport Tourism

What is economic impact of sport tourism?

Cite this Essay

Related Essays

Still can’t find what you need?

Related Essays on Tourism

Related Topics

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

What is sports tourism and why it is so big?

What is sports tourism?

Passive sports tourism

The different types of sport tourism

Sport event tourism

Nostalgia sports tourism

Active sports tourism

Sports Tourism

Introduction

Hard and soft sport tourism

Sport events tourism

Nostalgia sport tourism

Active sport tourism

19 Sport, Tourism, and Social Impacts

Legacy or Leverage?

Social Impacts and Social Legacies

Small-Scale Sport Tourism Events

This Feature Is Available To Subscribers Only

tourism & city branding

Share this post

Definition of sport tourism

The impact of COVID-19 on the sport tourism industry

Role of cities in sport tourism

Sport tourism trends

To learn more

Related publication

Related articles

Sport Tourism – Aarhus, Denmark

Interview with Gianpietro Ghedina, Mayor of Cortina d’Ampezzo

Kigali, Rwanda: Its dual strategic approach to sport tourism

The Impact of Sports Tourism on Countries

Cite this paper

Argumentative Essay - Extreme Sports Tourism A profitable growth of a niche market

Related Papers

RELATED TOPICS

Essay On Sports Tourism

Analysis Of March Madness: The NCAA Men's Basketball

Examples Of Legacies For Brisbane

Charlotte Hornets And TWCA Economic Impact

Circleville Argument Analysis

The Negative Effects Of Hosting The Olympics

Atlantic City Essay

Gil's Sportsplex Analysis

Pros And Cons Of Municipal Bond Investments

Sports In The 1970s Essay

Japanese Tourism Impact

Compare And Contrast American And Olympic Games Essay

Essay On Playing Sports

Essay On Sports And Visual Arts

Social, Social And Economic Benefits Of Tourism

Importance Of Sports In The Philippines

More about Essay On Sports Tourism

To read this content please select one of the options below:

Design/methodology/approach

Research limitations/implications

Practical implications

Social implications

Originality/value

Related articles

All feedback is valuable

Join us on our journey

Questions & More Information

What Is Sports Tourism?

What is sports tourism?

What are the benefits?

What are the downsides?

Our 2024 Coverage Needs You

Popular in the Community

A Strategic Approach To Sport Tourism

You may also like

Canada in the Global Sports Media Landscape

Does social media impact athlete performance?