Sports tourism

Sports tourism is the experience of traveling to a non-local destination to participate in or watch a sports-related activity. Sports tourism is generally categorized into three types. Active sports tourism involves traveling to take part in an activity such as golfing or skiing; sports event tourism includes traveling to the site of a major sporting event; and nostalgia sports tourism is defined as travel to famous sports attractions. Sports tourism is a growing segment of the travel industry, with estimated revenues in 2016 of more than $10 billion.

Background

The concept of sports tourism likely began with the ancient Greeks. Greek culture valued athleticism, and the city-states of the Greek peninsula often held sporting competitions that attracted athletes and fans from around the country. The most famous of these competitions were the Olympic Games, which were held at Olympia in the city-state of Elis. The earliest recorded Olympic Games were held in 776 BCE, but the competition probably dated back another five centuries. Records indicate that tens of thousands of Greek spectators traveled to the region where the athletic competition was being held. Many arrived early to enjoy the food and amenities of the host city-state.

The financial means to afford travel and the ability to journey safely were prime factors in attracting visitors to sporting events. The stability and infrastructure of the Roman Empire allowed the aristocracy to travel to observe games of sport in relative comfort. In the chaos that followed the fall of Rome, medieval nobility occasionally organized tournaments that featured knights exhibiting their riding, hunting, and battle skills.

As the nineteenth century came to a close, the rebirth of an ancient Greek tradition proved to be a significant boost for sports tourism and set the stage for the industry to flourish. A French baron named Pierre de Coubertin pushed for a revival of the Olympic Games as a way to encourage nations of the world to come together in celebration of athletic skill. In 1896, the first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece, with athletes from fourteen nations participating. The event was a great source of pride for the Greeks, who delighted in showing off their city and culture to European diplomats, heads of state, and tourists who traveled to Athens.

Overview

The modern Olympic Games took a number of years to gain popular support, but by the 1924 Paris Games, the event had started to attract a worldwide following. The first Winter Olympic Games were also held that year in Chamonix, France. The Olympics eventually grew into the world's most prestigious international sports competition and the foremost example of sports event tourism. Both the Summer and Winter Olympics are held every four years at a site chosen years in advance. The games are actively promoted as a tourist destination, and host countries often get a sizable economic boost from the influx of foreign visitors.

Other major sporting events that generate significant tourist interest include soccer's World Cup, Grand Slam tennis tournaments such as Wimbledon or the US Open, and major professional golf events such as the Masters. In the United States, the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament held in March draws fans and tourists from participating schools to game sites around the country. The National Football League's (NFL) championship game, the Super Bowl, also draws thousands of fans from across the nation and injects millions of dollars into the economy of a host city. On a smaller scale, youth sporting events such as the Little League World Series and state high school championship games are popular not only with families of the participants but also other spectators who are willing to travel.

People who travel to participate in a sporting activity are engaging in active sports tourism. This form of tourism may include a wide variety of sports. Among the most popular active sports tourist destinations are golfing resorts, where people plan entire vacations around playing golf. These are usually warm-weather sites such as California, Florida, or Hawaii. The climate of Southern California makes it a sought-after destination for surfers, skateboarders, and mountain bikers. Hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, and skiing are other popular sports that people travel to take part in.

The popularity of certain locations and events has created a mystique that attracts tourists looking to connect with their favorite sport on a different level. Nostalgia sports tourism is the practice of traveling to a sports-themed attraction or a famous sports venue. These may include sporting halls-of-fame such as the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, or the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Visitors travel to these places to view artifacts related to the history of the sport and evoke nostalgic emotions of the sport's past.

Another type of nostalgia sports tourism involves traveling to older stadiums, ballparks, and arenas that have been the sites of historic sports moments. The site, not the teams playing, is the main attraction for many visitors. For NFL fans, Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, is a prime destination for tourism. In Major League Baseball, Boston's Fenway Park and Chicago's Wrigley Field are both century-old ballparks that attract a significant number of tourists per year. Sports fans also seek out unique sites, such as the Dyersville, Iowa, baseball field where the 1989 movie Field of Dreams was filmed.

Baseball is the most sought-after destination for event and nostalgia sports tourism. While attending or participating in a sporting event may be the primary reason for a trip, most travelers incorporate sightseeing and other tourist activities in the city or region where the event is being held. According to the National Association of Sports Commissions, sports tourism was responsible for $10.47 billion in 2016, a 10 percent increase from 2015.

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