География и геология/1.Регионоведение и региональная организация общества.

Senior Teacher Chala K.

Student Bogachova I.

National University of Food Technologies, Kyiv, Ukraine

Sport Tourism – the Choice of Active People

Many people wonder what sports tourism is. Sports tourism is traveling from one region, country, state, etc. to another in order to watch a sports competition or game. While sports tourism has not always been extremely popular, during the recent decade the amount of people attending out of area sporting events has drastically increased. People are now traveling far and wide just to attend their favorite events, and it is no wonder as to what has encouraged the sudden spike in popularity.

While the technological advances in recent years may not have appeared to make a huge impact on the sport industry, they most certainly have. Due to the availability of buying sports tickets online through various admissions sites, people now have access to multiple resources that were not available a decade ago. People are also more aware of when and where the games and competitions will take place in advance, so they are more able to prepare for the cost and time that is needed to be able to attend the events. Sports tourism has not only managed to find a place in the technological industry, but it has increased because of it.

The types of sports tourism consumers vary from sport to sport. The most generalized statistics are that most sports tourists are males between the ages of 18 and 34, and they are in the middle-class economic groups. Delving deeper into the study will help to get a more accurate statistical rank on class, status and age. For example, cricket and rugby fans are generally older and have more disposable income than basic football and basketball fans. While different sports have different sports tourism consumers, all sports have taken a popularity increase in recent years.

Sports tourism is not difficult to figure out. Sports tourism is the act of traveling from one location to another with the goal of being an audience member to a sports competition of any kind.

While sports tourism has gained popularity in recent years, one must stop and consider what it really is and why it has become so popular among the sports fan crowds. Not only has it managed to steadily increase each year, but it has also taken a spot among the top reasons for traveling and vacationing. It appears as though more and more people are using their well-earned vacations to see their favorite players in action. So, what is sports tourism? It is to see a competition up close and personal.
Top sport events of the world 2014 :

Aintree Grand National, April

There’s no race on earth quite like the Grand National. Held at Aintree racecourse near Liverpool each April, This is the most famous race over jumps in the world and the stakes just keep going up. Major UK bookmaker bet365 last year reported bigger than ever amounts being staked on the race. It’s the one race where pretty much all the British public has a flutter so the amounts are counted in the hundreds of millions of pounds. This year’s race will be held on Saturday 5th April; don’t miss it whether on TV or, better yet, in person.

The Masters Tournament, April

This year’s Masters Golf tournament will be held from April 7th to 13th at Augusta, Georgia, as always. This is the first of the season’s four golf majors, but the Masters is really the one they all want to win the most. It’s a picture postcard setting in America’s Deep South – and is the biggest and best-known stage in golf.

Kentucky Derby, May

The annual two-kilometre horse sprint has been held each year since 1875 on the first Saturday each May. This is the race that really defines US racing more than any other and it’s in the stunningly beautiful racecourse of Churchill Downs, in south Louisville, Kentucky. The race and the course both hark back to the old-world glamour of the Deep South in a way that no other venue does.

Monaco Grand Prix, May

If you had to pick out one venue that truly epitomises the old sprit of Formula One in Europe then it would surely be Monte Carlo. This is generally thought to be the single most prestigious car race on the planet. The Monaco Grand Prix winds its way through the small streets of the ultra-glamorous Monaco principality every May. This year, Formula One’s most glamorous event will be held on Sunday 11th May.

The World Cup, June-July

Amongst all the other great sporting events going on around the world this year – there’s the Daddy of them all; the World Cup 2014 begins on Thursday, June 12th and ends on Sunday, July 13th with the final at the Maracanã stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

This is the sporting event of the year, hosted for the first time since 1950 in a country that has enjoyed more international success than any other – where football is second only to religion. It needs no introduction – be there if you possibly can!

Wimbledon, June-July

This year’s Wimbledon tennis championship may be rather overshadowed by the World Cup – but it’s still the greatest tennis event of the calendar – and certainly the most historic of the four majors. Held each June and July since 1887, it’s a wonderful spectacle when the sun is shining – strawberries and cream, the Royal Family and great tennis; not to be missed.

Tour de France, July

An event like no other and possibly the single greatest race on earth this year’s Tour de France takes place from Saturday July 5th to Sunday July 27th. It will be the 101st Tour de France – a 3,600km journey all across France finishing along the Champs-Elysees.

These are just a few to choose from – but with any one of them, you surely won’t be disappointed if you can be there.

References:

1. "The Road to Travel: Purpose of Travel." University of Florida, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. (Compilation for History 3931/REL 3938 course.) Accessed July 2011.