The results of the 2013 World Travel Awards held in September have brought forth surprising revelations for the tourism industry, particularly sports tourism. Not only is sports tourism on the rise, but more places are fast cultivating this culture to rise rapidly up the tourism ladder.
This year's winner for excellence in sports tourism is New Orleans. Yes, now the Big Easy can be known for much more than exotic cuisine, superior architecture and historical delights for the traveler. Other nominees included major travel destinations in North America like Chicago, New York, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Toronto and Vancouver. New Orleans beat them all not just through the major series of sports events that it hosted, but also for providing a comprehensive tourism experience for every sports traveler to the city.
In recent times, the Olympics and other megasports events like the FIFA World Cup have opened up the global sports tourism industry. And as international travel has boomed, there is now immense scope for the travel and tourism industry to grow and expand if they can strategize well and use major sporting events as the focal point of marketing campaigns.
Along with the glitz and glamour of these spectacular events, there is also the need for a comprehensive branding and marketing of the key attractions of the location, which can then be combined in a single sports tourism package and sold. Governments as well as travel companies have quickly realized the potential for business here and are increasingly focused on using this unique angle to aid in indigenous economic growth.
In the U.S., similar focus is now being given to the tourism industry to help expand growth faster. Brand USA, the tourism marketing body for the country has teamed up with ESPN to promote sports tourism across the nation. An online sports calendar set up on the Discover America website to showcase the latest sporting events in various American cities.
But the information does not stop there. A few clicks will take the visitor to a definitive guide which will help tourists plan their holiday around these events, give them details of the game as well as the team, thus stoking the inherent American love for sports. The site highlights the diverse sporting events across the country and promotes local tourism along with it. Their campaign line — "Discover this land, like never before" — perfectly describes their efforts.
Tourism is a major component of economic growth, and with specific areas like sports tourism being cultivated, it has become the life support for many counties as well. A case for example is Pleasure Island near Gulf Shores, Ala. The popular tourist destination suffered serious economic setbacks in recent years, and with tourism as their major industry, they definitely needed a boost.
They focused on a series of sporting events for the first eight months of 2013 to finally realize profits. Almost 90 events were hosted on Pleasure Island in 2013, which resulted in direct visitor spending of $26 million already, according to the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Sports Commission. A calculated effort to highlight the place worked hand-in-hand with arousing interest and curiosity for the wide range of sports, which led to a heavy influx of tourists and helped the local economy turnaround.
This ideal combination of local heritage and attractions along with sports events makes a great sports tourism destination. New Orleans best exemplified the same this year by hosting an unprecedented series of sporting events in 2012 and 2013, which included the 2012 BCS National Championship, the 2012 NCAA men's Final Four, the 2013 women's Final Four and Super Bowl XLVII.
The local government is focused on providing comprehensive entertainment in a safe environment for tourists so that New Orleans can become the next destination of choice for all sports enthusiasts. Added to these are the Crescent City's intrinsic charm and hospitality that has lured tourists in for generations and promises to aid in promoting further sports tourism in the region.
