Sports tourism, a new direction to attract international visitors

Playing a crucial role in the green economy .

According to the World Tourism Organization, sports tourism plays a crucial role in the green economy, with an estimated value of around $800 billion globally. In some countries, sports tourism contributes nearly 30% of total tourism revenue.

That's why in recent years, many sporting events have been leveraged by numerous countries as key products to attract tourists. For example, in August 2023, the Women's World Cup, co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, generated over $570 million in revenue. The 19th Asian Games, held in China (September 2023), generated over $85 million in revenue and received $623 million in sponsorship.

Tourists participating in the Hanoi Open Marathon. Photo: Hoai Nam

According to the National Tourism Administration, in the last 5-7 years, Vietnam has begun to develop sports tourism products. Typical examples include tours designed to include participation in amateur running events, and more recently, tours organized by travel companies for Vietnamese people to travel abroad to watch the Vietnamese national team compete.

In fact, to capitalize on this type of tourism, the number of sporting events in Vietnam has increased significantly in recent years, attracting a large number of sports enthusiasts. Notable examples include the VnExpress Amazing Marathon, the Ha Long Heritage Marathon, the Da Lat Ultra Trail, off-road motorcycle and car races in Ha Giang, mountain climbing to conquer Fansipan peak, and the "One Race, Two Countries" cycling race in Lao Cai...

Hanoi, in particular, boasts several annual sporting events that can be linked to tourism activities, such as the Hanoi International Badminton Tournament and the Hanoi Moi Newspaper Open Run - For Peace. In addition, Hanoi hosts several international sporting events of Asian and Southeast Asian significance, as well as golf tournaments, providing a platform for international tourists…

The 5th Hanoi Open Cycling Race attracted international tourists. Photo: Hoai Nam

Speaking about the benefits that sports bring to the tourism industry, General Director of Flamingo Redtours Nguyen Cong Hoan said that sports tourism is a specialized product line, so compared to regular tours, organizers need to have expertise in both travel and a certain level of knowledge about sports such as competition regulations, registration procedures, etc., in order to advise customers on activities suitable for their health.

As a company with many years of experience operating cycling tours connecting Hanoi's inner city with its suburbs, and to destinations such as Ninh Binh, Quang Ninh, and Lao Cai, Vietfoot Travel Director Pham Duy Nghia stated that this type of tourism also offers tourists new experiences as they explore the beauty of culture and nature combined with sports.

We need collaboration.

Although sports tourism has great potential to attract tourists, achieving this requires close cooperation between the sports industry and tourism in promoting events and developing unique tours.

According to Lux Group Chairman Pham Ha, in order to make sports a key product of Vietnamese tourism, it is crucial to have thorough research and long-term orientation to build and upgrade infrastructure in a professional and modern direction.

At the same time, there should be a strategy to promote the event to increase the chances of hosting more international-level sporting events. But the important thing is to have coordination between the tourism and sports sectors, so that the products are not only for Vietnamese tourists but also present a vibrant and hospitable image to international visitors.

The golf tourism festival organized by the Economic & Urban Newspaper at Dong Mo Golf Course attracted international tourists. Photo: Hoai Nam

Agreeing with this opinion, Nguyen Duc Anh, Director of Vplus Vietnam Tourism and Events Joint Stock Company, shared that during the tour development process, businesses face difficulties due to a lack of information about international sporting events, making it impossible to proactively develop tours or connect with event organizers. This leads to a situation where, by the time they know about an event, it is already about to take place, making it difficult for businesses to create tours.

"To effectively capitalize on sporting events, travel businesses need to establish a communication mechanism with sports management authorities to obtain event schedules as early as possible, thereby collaborating to develop suitable products," Mr. Anh stated.

From an expert's perspective, Vu The Binh, Chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association, stated that international tourists have different preferences for this type of activity. While Korean tourists enjoy playing golf, European and American tourists prefer hiking in the forest and conquering challenging trails, and Japanese tourists prefer experiencing local culture…

Tourists and athletes participate in the 5th Hanoi Open Cycling Race. Photo: Hoai Nam

Therefore, attracting tourists requires businesses to design tours that include diverse activities, not simply sports tourism. But to achieve this, event organizers need to collaborate with tourism businesses to create rich product packages, ensuring athletes and their families have the best possible experience when visiting Vietnam.

To enable tourism and sports to join forces and attract tourists, Vice President of the Vietnam Travel Association, Phung Quang Thang, suggested that in the future, localities should create streamlined procedures for licensing sports events to serve tourism and promote destinations. Simultaneously, the organization of these events should be socialized by encouraging travel companies to form alliances to sell products related to sports tourism. Conversely, the sports sector should strengthen its efforts to promote events, scenic spots, and Vietnamese culture, thereby attracting tourists to Vietnam.

On the part of the State management agency, the Director of the Hanoi Department of Tourism, Dang Huong Giang, affirmed that the department will create maximum conditions and open up many opportunities for tourism businesses and sports event organizers to discuss and agree on ways to exploit the opportunities. This will ensure that Vietnamese tourism in general, and Hanoi in particular, continues to be a highly attractive destination for domestic and international tourists.

Therefore, to develop sports tourism into a key product, coordination among management agencies, localities, service providers, and relevant parties is needed in investing in and exploiting this type of tourism.

Source: https://kinhtedothi.vn/du-lich-the-thao-huong-di-moi-thu-hut-khach-quoc-te.html