2nd World Sports Tourism Congress: main conclusions

09-05-23

This second edition of the (WSTC) gave prominence to the role of Sports Tourism in the international tourism industry and raised awareness about the benefits Sports Tourism can bring to destinations and the overall tourism industry under economic, environmental, and social aspects.

Jointly organized by UNWTO, the Government of Croatia through its Ministry of Tourism and Sport, and the Affiliate Member Croatian National Tourist Board, the event expanded on the success of the first edition, hosted in Lloret de Mar, Spain, on 25-26 November 2021, and gathered more 350 participants from over than 25 different countries who joined us to learned from 48 worldwide speakers and experts in the field of Sports Tourism, throughout 8 panels.

After examining the whole picture of the WSTC, the main takeaways highlighted by our panellist are the following:

• Planning & coordination are essential for sports tourism development: achieving sustainable development in the field of Sports Tourism and harnessing its potential, requires clear and coherent strategies and policies

• Sports tourism can positively impact the entire tourism chain: the sports component of tourism has a positive impact, with sports events clearly triggering many economic benefits across the entire tourism value chain

• Advantages of the specialization of destinations within sports tourism: destination should leverage their unique conditions and features by specializing in a specific type of sport/activity or a specific type of sports event

• Sports events can be a powerful marketing tool for destinations that can enhance the brand image and visibility of the host

• The importance of professionalization of sports sponsorship by DMOs, with regard to the roles of sponsoring brand and host of sports events

• Sports events generate a positive impact on the community’s health and lifestyle

• The interplay between sports tourism, society, and environment: sustainable sports tourism entails reducing and off-setting the carbon footprint and creating engagement with the local community.

Through this event, the UNWTO has consolidated the importance of sports tourism to the tourism agenda, and its commitment to continue raising awareness on the benefits of sports tourism by generating knowledge, solid recommendations, and tools for the sustainable development of this sector.