UN Tourism and the Government of the Region of Madrid will jointly organize the 3rd World Sports Tourism Congress in the city of Madrid on 28-29 November 2024.
The 3rd World Sports Tourism Congress will once again bring together high-level stakeholders from these sectors to share innovative ideas, best practices, and insights of sports tourism, including its economic impact, contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and strategies for effectively promoting destinations through sports events and sponsorships.
Topics on the Agenda
Sports Tourism on Government Agendas
Partnership models between governments and sports entities
Long-term planning in Sports Tourism
Sponsorship trends
Brand alignment between destinations and sports businesses
Brand Activation
Community engagement in sports events
Best practices in bidding for sports events
Innovation in sports infrastructure and tourist experience
New technologies (i.e., Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, IoT, Artificial Intelligence)
E-sports
Sustainability and net-zero strategies
Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) integration in destination planning
Measuring impact
Background on Sports Tourism
Sports Tourism is one of the fastest-growing sectors worldwide, both in size and market volume. In 2023, the market reached an approximate value of $609 billion and it is projected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate of around 16% between 2024 and 2030.
The tourism and sports sectors are inextricably linked and play a key role in enhancing economic diversification, growth, and social development in many destinations by creating jobs and supporting businesses in cities and rural communities. The increasing popularity of major sporting events attracts more and more domestic and international visitors.
Tourism and sports are committed to contributing to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Destinations globally recognize the potential of this segment and seek to position themselves as Sports Tourism destinations by investing in sporting infrastructure, bidding to host sports events, and implementing marketing strategies to promote their sports offer.