“Sports tourism is the sleeping giant of the global travel and tourism industry worth an estimated $600 billion dollars-this is not a niche market but rather a significant part of the global market” World Sport Destination Expo’s findings.
In ancient Greece and Rome, mega sporting games attracted local and regional athletes as well as large crowds of spectator tourists from beyond empire borders. Hosting of sporting games was an honour, an act of prestige and status. The first sports stadia accommodated between 15 000 and 50 000 spectators. In time, numerous public and private sports facilities were built, with monumental buildings holding between 260 000 and 385 000 spectators. Thus, thousands of local and visiting spectators were united under the rubric of public sporting games.
Today sport tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors of the global travel and tourism industry with estimates of its value at US$600 billion in 2008, or approximately 10% of the international tourism market, 12 million trips a year and an expected growth of 6% per year. Sport tourism, encompasses both fans travelling to watch sport and people pursuing their sport locally and internationally.
Sport in South Africa is a multibillion-rand industry and contributes more than 2% to the country’s gross domestic product. Over the years, the country has successfully demonstrated its ability to host major international sporting tournaments, with a strong track-record for pulling off the really colossal events, including the 1995 Rugby World Cup, the 2003 Cricket World Cup, the 2007 inaugural World Twenty20 Cricket Championships, the 2009 Indian Premier League (IPL), and the biggest of them all, the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
According to Mr Sugen Pillay, Global Manger for Events at SA Tourism, more complex and sophisticated types of tourist consumers have emerged as the sport tourism market has grown.
“Travellers with specific interests in sport are seeking more than just a sun, sea and sight-seeing holiday package. If we are to effectively market and prepare sporting events and facilities for sport tourists, and ultimately gauge the positive economic and social impacts of this group, we need to be able to recognise them.”
He adds, “To harness the holistic value these travellers bring to our country, it is essential for the tourism and sports industries to collaborate so as to increase awareness for the sports and tourist attractions across all the provinces. This will further enhance sport tourism potential in areas with relatively low tourism flow.”.”
Bolstered by the successes of the past, SA Tourism continues to actively promote South Africa as a destination for mega sporting events. To enhance the country’s position as a world-class hosting nation, SA Tourism will be supporting the Sports and Events Tourism Exchange (SETE) conference and exhibition at the International Convention Centre in Cape Town from 27th to 29th July 2011. The first of its kind to be held in South Africa, SETE will showcase the global standard of facilities and services that South Africa has to offer as a host for top level international events
SETE, hosted by Sports & Recreation SA (SRSA) in collaboration with Thebe Exhibitions and Project Group (TEPG), will facilitate strategic business linkages and focus on practical ways to enhance the bidding, promotion and management of mega sports and recreation events. Speakers from South Africa, Germany, USA, Turkey, United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia will cover topics such as the bidding process for international sporting events; the targeting of athletes as event tourists; Barcelona and Spain’s successful leveraging of sporting events; and golf tourism as a sustainable niche sport tourism sector. Speaking at the event is Mr Derek Casey, current Chair of the Board of the World Leisure Organisation and former Chief Executive of the UK Sports Council and Sports England, who served as a Bid Director in successfully bringing the 2014 Commonwealth Games to Glasgow, Scotland.
Carol Weaving, Managing Director of Thebe Exhibitions & Projects Group is confident about the future of sports tourism in South Africa. She says, “South Africa is an attractive country which boasts some of the most spectacular tourist destinations, sports and events infrastructure in the world. This positions us as a prime location for international travel and leisure. Furthermore, our state of the art sporting facilities will attract the attention of international sporting events.”
Whilst the number of sports tourists world-wide fluctuates on an annual basis depending on the events taking place, an estimated 12 million international trips are coordinated on average for the main purpose of watching a sporting event. The main competing destinations for sport tourism events tend to vary depending on where the large events, such as the Fifa World Cup and Olympics are held. However, those consistently holding key annual tournaments of global sporting interest include the United States, United Kingdom, France, Australia and Spain.
Cities and countries across the globe are presently entered into honourable rivalry to attract global sports fans, along with their disposable income and the inherent growth potential that follows in their wake. “The victors,” says Pillay, “will be those cities and countries that can fathom the fundamental motivating power of sports tourism, and most successfully harness the potential of sport as tourist attractions.”
He adds, “Sport tourism is a tool to achieve many things, such as increased revenue, job creation and even to help change cultural perceptions, as has been the case for the Middle East and South Africa.”
Globally sports tourism is now a catalyst for the recovery of the tourism industry, a tool to generate significant revenues, create thousands of new jobs, generate urban infrastructure and develop or revive destinations as well as provide a platform to attract foreign direct investment. Barcelona doubled its number of tourists in the 10 years following the 1992 Olympic Games and other cities in Spain also benefited from a knock-on effect. A study commissioned by the Brazilian government, showed that the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio will provide a boost of more than $24 billion from 2010 until 2027. Brazil’s economy is predicted to become the fifth largest in the world by 2016. The Fifa Football World Cup held in France in 1998 attracted 900,000 international football fans and generated $12.3 billion. Euro 2004 (the European Football Championships) attracted 500 000 sports tourists to Portugal, generating $320 million for the Portuguese economy.
In the years leading up to the 2010 World Cup, SA Tourism spent approximately R770 million ($100 million) on marketing and advertising the country to a global audience and got the message across to 1.9 billion people every month. The event attracted some 309 000 international visitors who injected an estimated R3.6 billion into the economy.
“Our investment in marketing the country as a capable host has been more than offset by the economic benefits of the event as well as the positive international reporting on South Africa, both as a country and as a tourism destination” says Pillay.
He adds “The benefits are systemic. The links between the hospitality, leisure, sport and tourism networks are self evident, highlighting the positive correlations between these markets and the economy of the event hosting country.”
“These mega sports events also tie in well with South Africa becoming a leading business and leisure destination, with business travellers crossing over significantly into leisure and sport travel before or after their business activities and through return trips in subsequent years.”
He concludes, “SA Tourism is actively positioning mega sporting events in its national tourism development strategy in order to maximize the potential of such events as a driver of economic growth and development for the country.”
“After successfully hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa proved it has the capability and infrastructure to once again welcome the world to experience mega sporting events. When South Africa bid for the 2004 Olympic Games, Cape Town lost out to Athens. Seven years on South Africa has demonstrated indubitably that it can successfully host major sporting events. We are now fully up for the task of hosting events such as the 2020 or 2024 Olympic Games, which will be a much deserved first for the African continent.”
