The value of sports tourism [Travel]

Did you know the sport tourism market is a fast-growing sector of the global travel industry and equates to 800 billion US dollars annually?

Within this extraordinarily-resilient and multi-faceted industry, sports-related tourism is now presenting major opportunities for both emerging and mature destinations.

Research shows that sports fans are keen travellers and with sports events taking place all over the globe, the synergies between sport and travel are clear for all to see. It is therefore no surprise that the travel and tourism sector has among the largest sponsorship outlay in sports.

For destinations, it is no longer just about hosting major events; governments and tourism authorities now understand the power of sport and the effectiveness of sponsorship as a marketing tool to enhance the economy.

Rwanda has been defending its multi-million dollar deal to sponsor the Arsenal soccer team, telling politicians from European donor countries it is “none of their business”.