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From high school soccer tournaments to the World Cup, sports-related travel is a major driver of local and national economies in the U.S. and around the world. Avid sports fans who are eager to travel after the Covid-19 season is closer to home are shelling out big bucks to be a part of the action.
An industry report released in May by the Sports Event and Tourism Association (Sports ETA) showed that as consumers returned to booking trips, sports-related travel to amateur and college sports grew faster than the rainy season following the pandemic. The data shows that this sector is expected to generate significant gains by 2021 – up to $39.7 billion in direct economic impact. The survey, conducted by Tourism Economics and sponsored by Northstar Meetings Group, found that more than 175 million people traveled for amateur or college sports in 2021, an 82 percent increase from 96 million in 2020.
Jason Gewirtz, Editor and Publisher: “In the US, we’ve seen tremendous growth, especially at the youth and amateur levels of sports, which have been touted as recession-proof for years.” of Sports travel magazine.
“And especially if you go to university, there’s a built-in fandom with college team fans. Many people are willing to travel for a game or return to campus.
Gewirtz noted that some of the first things people do when they start thinking about regrouping are outdoor youth sports events. “Parents were more than happy to spend money to take their children to championship games,” he added.
“In major cities across the country, we have seen conventions where the first events are not conventions or conventions but volleyball tournaments. Indoor sports tournaments sometimes draw tens of thousands of people. “We’ve been hearing reports from the cities that the entire hotel inventory is nothing but youth sports,” says Gewirtz.
“This has given a lot of confidence to the sports tourism industry and I think many destinations have realized the importance of sports as a travel driver when it comes to filling hotel rooms and boosting the local economy.”
Sports ETA President and CEO Alan Kidd said construction of youth sports facilities across America accelerated last year thanks to some of the CARES money municipalities received.
“A lot of stuff came online that created jobs and opportunities. Then, as states started to open up and 2021 went on, we saw some real pick-up in the second half of the year,” says Kidd.
“The expansion of youth competitive travel teams in every sport has exceeded everyone’s expectations and is now forecast to exceed our 2019 benchmark numbers in 2022, a very rapid redeployment of capital back into sport. And when some of the television rights are extended to amateur, college and professional, you’ll have more and more visibility across the country in sports.
Travel consultants say the pro sports tourism market is growing
Soccer, F1, golf and basketball fans have flocked to destinations near and far, says Anbrit Stengele, founder and president of Chicago-based Sports Travel, which specializes in event tickets, hotel rooms and VIP travel packages. Sold-out sports events around the world.
“Sports travelers are the most passionate of all travelers. It doesn’t matter where the event is, or the cost of the event. They want to see their team play, and that’s evident in the backlash we’re experiencing,” says Stengel.
“Since the opening of the stadiums, we have seen a resurgence of people wanting to experience sports live. The pandemic reminded everyone that we won’t be here forever and you want to see everything while you can.
More customers are investing in bucket-list trips like the Kentucky Derby, Indy 500 and Masters, according to Duane Penner, vice president of sales at Roadtrips, which focuses on booking luxury side sports trips to major international events.
“Our love of travel and our love for the sport is a combination in terms of making memories. Being able to go to Augusta National is on every golf lover’s bucket list,” he says.
Changing styles and trends reflected in sports related areas
In terms of duration, additional pre- and post-event activities and overall cost, Stengel’s team is seeing customers eager to enjoy experiences outside of the game or competition.
“People want to immerse themselves in everything that happens on game weekend. For example, we’ve expanded our Green Bay Packers packages to include a Packer Heritage Tour to see where the original Packers played, behind the scenes at the stadium, to the Hall of Fame and on the field at Lambeau Field,” she said.
“Fifteen years ago we used to have a tailgate party, and now we have a cheese-headed tour guide to see everything the city has to offer.”
Travelers are arriving early to attend Friday night dinners, spend Saturday with their fans and enjoy Sunday’s game day festivities. Multi-day trips with the Kentucky Derby are now more common.
“We’re having farm tours to see the equine industry and we’ll be doing bourbon tastings,” Stengel said.
At a major international sporting event, travelers will then extend their trip to explore that part of the world, Penner explained.
“Almost all of them are increasing. People who go to exotic places like Rio for the Olympics or the World Cup can go to Corcovado afterwards, and the Amazon on the way back. “The sporting event is really an incentive to experience a new destination,” says Penner.
“Monaco – a great travel destination at any time of the year – is off the charts during the Grand Prix, glamorous, fun and exciting. And once in the south of France, many of our customers add a river cruise or spend a week in Provence or the Cinque Terre in Italy. New, more business , is also a must-have product for many travel agents as it often includes other nearby events or travel experiences.
The popularity of luxury sports tourism is illustrated by NBA Experiences’ latest promotion: exclusive packages for the league’s first games in the United Arab Emirates in early October. International fans can book customized experiences including behind-the-scenes tours, meals with celebrity athletes, court photos and desert safari tours.
Consultants are seeing an increase in the number of customers requesting travel insurance for sports-related trips
“I’ve been doing this for 22 years, and I don’t remember having as many conversations about travel insurance as I did in the last two. People are buying it more than ever before,” Stengel said.
While travel insurance was once considered an afterthought; She says it’s becoming more important to people now.
“Customers are constantly asking about it when they’re selling and adding it to their reservation. These are huge investment trips. When people save up to go to the Masters or the Derby, they want to make sure they’re covered if something happens and they can’t make it.”
There is no doubt that having insurance protection for unforeseen events brings peace of mind and a level of security to the travel experience.
Penner says his clientele for luxury sports travel tends to be older and more affluent, and many are buying packages for major events two or three years in advance to secure their spot.
“More people are asking for travel insurance. You never want to use it, but if you need to, it’s important,” he said.
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