The COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected the international sports industry, and the losses are expected to reach approximately $60 billion in global revenues. The culprit? The majority of local, national, and international sporting events that have been canceled or that took place without the physical presence of the public or with a limited number of attendees. Sports tourism has also fallen victim to the same restrictions and similar revenue losses, with numerous sports games, programs, and outdoor activities being postponed or completely canceled because of the travel restrictions that no longer allowed passionate sports travelers to reach their preferred destinations and participate in their favorite competitions and events.
Nonetheless, some forms of sport tourism, including outdoor recreation, continue to represent excellent alternatives to the mass sports tourism we have all been used to in the pre-pandemic years. Accordingly, we can expect to witness their continuous growth in the upcoming months and, most likely, years. Sports tourism customization and digital alternatives are also projected to become palpable realities in the near future, as means of better coping with the ever-changing expectations of consumers and the reshaping of the business environment.
Types of Sports Tourism: Hard VS Soft Sport Tourism
Sports tourism, in general, is a form of travel that refers to observing or actively participating in various sporting events, while not actually engaging in standard tourist activities. This sector is fast-growing and it is worth around $7.7 billion, so people’s interest in it is easy to spot throughout the world.
If you are looking forward to joining hands with the rest of the people interested in this form of tourism during the pandemic, you should first get a deeper understanding of the main categories of sport tourism.
Basically, there are two universally accepted types of sport tourism – hard and soft sports tourism.
Hard sports tourism refers to people that choose to attend a big or domestic or local sporting competition and we could mention the Australian Open in Melbourne that attracts millions of tennis aficionados from all parts of the world every year, Grand Prix, FIFA World Cup, NASCAR, or the Olympics as examples of hard sports tourism. Interested people can buy tickets to these events and see live matches or competitions unfolding in front of their very eyes.
Soft sports tourism refers to the case when tourists choose to travel someplace to be a part of a recreational form of sport or to sign up for such an event for pure leisure reasons. Here, we could mention skiing, hiking, canoeing, of golfing in Europe, Australia, the US, and other parts of the world. People who are eager to play on some of the highest-ranked golf courses in the world and check these hot destinations off their bucket list will usually be the main sports tourists eager to travel there.
There are a few additional categories of sport tourism activities that should also be mentioned:
Sporting event tourism was inspired by the 2007 NFL event when the games started being played in the UK in London, or in Mexico in Mexico City.
Celebrity sports tourism is also called nostalgia sport tourism and it refers to tourists traveling to their favorite halls of fame and special sports venues such as official football courts of popular football teams in order to meet and greet famous sportsmen while vacationing.
Active sport tourism refers to the previously mentioned soft and hard sports tourism categories with travelers choosing to participate in various sports events or sports such as tennis, golf, rugby, football, or basketball.
Special Sports Tourism Travel Measures & Tips During The Pandemic
- No matter which of the previous sports tourism category you might be dedicated to, you will need to comply with the current travel restrictions and safety recommendations regarding wearing a mask, keeping a safe distance from others, getting a COVID-19 vaccine or test, having a green certificate, or something else.
- Always consult the official travel recommendations and requirements or the country you are planning on visiting and make sure you are prepared to be quarantined for two weeks, get tested, and comply with the rest of the recommendations and imposed measured.
- Focus more on outdoor recreation. This is a sub-category of sport tourism that is considered the safer choice during the pandemic, as it involved limited domestic or local traveling and a smaller number of restrictions and special measures to worry about. For instance, you could go hiking to a beautiful location in a nearby town or spend a couple of nights at a cozy hotel in your own city and take advantage of the beautiful golf course or swimming pool they have in store for guests.
You could also try sports betting online as a safe means of staying in touch with your favorite sports and teams while getting a chance to win some money using your passion and interest in certain sports. While it won’t involve doing any sort of traveling, this might come actually come in handy during a new upcoming lockdown.
