FOR the Middle East, sports tourism has been taken to a new level. The award of the 2022 FIFA World Cup tournament to Qatar, has fuelled expectations of a new wave of visitors to the region driven by sports tourism.
It is a sector long recognised by tourism authorities in the region who have variously established and promoted international championships and tournaments in golf, tennis, Formula One Grand Prix, horse-racing, sailing, powerboat racing, rugby, football and more.
For the most part, these events have served as a platform to market the destinations, creating awareness through media coverage that reaches far around the world - but sports tourism has far greater potential for all those involved in the travel industry here.
Even the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) acknowledges there is a need to better understand the impact of such mega-events in tourism, according to secretary-general Taleb Rifai, who said UNWTO predicted this would be the century of sports tourism.
That is why Arabian Travel Market (ATM) this year has created a ‘Soccer Zone’ which has already attracted a number of famous participants such as a representative team from Argentina.
How to address this issue will also be one of the topics covered in this year’s seminar programme.
The challenge for everyone involved is to understand how to translate the hosting of a big name sports event into tourism dollars for both the destination and the inbound and outbound operators.
Add in the ‘me-too’ factor, where the publicity generated pre-event highlights a destination’s attractions to a wider audience, and there is additional potential for increased meeting, incentive, conference and event business.
Anecdotal evidence pointed to a 73 per cent rise in meetings and corporate business in Sydney in the run up to the Olympics there, while the World Cup in South Africa generated more than 370,000 visitors during the event alone, as well as a rise in interest and tourists prior to the month-long tournament.
For Qatar, of course, there is still a long way to go. However, the emirate is now firmly on the world map, with every move monitored, especially regarding stadia, hotels and infrastructure.
This heightened interest is a useful tool that the travel trade here can use to attract business. Neighbouring states can also present their credentials as a destination partner for potential two-centre holidays.
And, it is the same for every sport and sporting event … there’s world-class tennis, golf and Formula One around the region and a host of loyal fans who will travel many miles to cheer on their heroes.
There’s those who also participate and play … golf is a classic example but there’s diving, ski-ing, tennis camps, sailing and riding, all of which can form the basis of a tailored holiday package.
And there’s training camps too, another lucrative sector many in the Gulf have already tapped into.
The key is to understand the market, establish the right contacts and get involved – if the UNWTO is right, this is one sector that cannot be ignored.
Mark Walsh is ATM’s group exhibitions director.
ATM diaries
by Mark Walsh