Sports tourism is defined as any involvement of a person who either observes as a spectator or actively participates, by his own choice, in sports activities which are integrated in the context of tourism aiming to entertain him through sports and not in preparing him for a sporting event.
Alexander Fomin, a famous Russian fitness instructor who travels all around the world for sports & fitness events, gave us an insight in “sports tourism” a fast-growing sector in tourism & new trend.
Types of Sport Tourism that fits to all
These activities have 4 forms:
- Sports Event Tourism
- Passive Sport Tourism
- Nostalgia Sport Tourism
- Active Sport Tourism
What is the importance of Sport Tourism?
Weed and Bull (2004), provide a conceptualization of the sports tourism phenomenon as:
“A social, economic and cultural phenomenon arising from the unique interaction of activity, people and place”.
Benefits of Sport Tourism
- Economic Development
- Experience
- Product Development
- Community Relationships
- Creates Opportunities
- Generates Constructive Image for the Destination
- Infrastructure
- Communication
How sports tourism is being utilized
As mentioned above, there are many forms of sports tourism. But how can it be used during the summer and holidays? Initially, if tourists stay in hotels, several hotels have gym facilities where there are machines, dumbbells, discs, balls and more, in which the guests can exercise under the supervision of trainers. At the same time, many hotel units can organize group training programs outside the hotels or on the beach, programs for pilates mat or yoga both on the beach and inside the hotel facilities.
Summer sports tourism
At the same time, during the summer holidays of the people, they can seek the sports recreation through their engagement with water sports which exist in many beaches in the area they visit. There are water sports such as jet skiing, windsurfing, kitesurfing, diving, parapente and much more.
By Melina Kottara
Source
- Kapur, Radhika. (2018). The Significance of Sports Tourism.
- Ministry of Tourism. (2018). Article 05 – Sports Tourism. Opengov.gr. Retrieved 17 June 2021, from http://www.opengov.gr/tourism/?p=1447.
- https://tourismteacher.com/sports-tourism/
- V., S., G., N., S., K., V., S., V., S., & S., K. et al. (2018). The 8 water sports that you should try this summer!. The-Man.gr. Retrieved 17 June 2021, from https://www.the-man.gr/thalassia-spor-prepei-dokimaseis-kalokairi/.