‘Sports tourism has good potential’

Sport events offer tremendous opportunity for any country to attract tourists. To leverage the tourism potential of sports, travel trade works around special itineraries to attract tourists. Government should focus on sport events and explore the untapped potential, suggest experts.

Janice Alyosius

Tourism and sports are interrelated and complementary. Sports – as a professional, amateur or leisure activity – involves a considerable amount of travelling to take part in different destinations and countries, and mega sporting events such as the Olympics, FIFA World Cup or rugby championships are powerful tourism attractions in themselves, making a positive contribution to the industry. It is not surprising then that Sports Tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors.

In India, sports tourism market, currently valued at US$ 9469 million, is expected to surge at an incredible CAGR of 14.8 per cent and is predicted to be valued at US$ 37,646 million during the forecast period, as analyzed by experts in Future Market Insights.

Commenting on role of sports in tourism, Riaz Munshi, President, OTOAI and MD, N Chirag Travels, said, “Sports tourism is an integral part of tourism. It is one of the verticals that greatly benefits the host country, as it attracts tourists from all over the world. Sports tourism contributes significantly to the economy of the country, as it boosts infrastructure and creates additional jobs and income opportunities for the workforce. Also, most of the travellers that go to watch the sporting event extend their length of stay, thereby spending additionally on local businesses and services in the country.”

Agents create special itineraries at the time of a mega sport event to leverage its tourism potential. “Once people decide on travelling for a sports event, they also extend their stay to explore the country as a holiday destination. We design itineraries for our travellers based on their interest and travel preferences to get the most out of the destination and explore it well. In India, travellers usually start planning 3-6 months in advance, as they are aware that the product gets costlier closer to the dates due to increased demand,” he shared.

Since sports tourism offers a full spectrum of opportunities, the Tourism Ministry also plays a crucial role to leverage the opportunities. “The government should organise big sporting events in India to attract travellers from across the world. They can pitch for the next T20 World Cup, which would attract cricket fans from around the world. It would also enhance exposure and enable us to showcase the country in a positive light,” Munshi suggested. “We have noticed that Indian travellers are now quite keen to travel for sports events. T20 Cricket and FIFA World Cup are both going to see big numbers of sports lovers,” he added.