What does a typical tourist do when he goes into a vacation? If you are a keen observer, you would notice that he would book himself in a hotel, bask and relax in the sun, have a refreshing swim in a pool, and enjoy exquisitely cooked meals. He may exit the hotel to check out sites of interest, shop at the local bazaars, visit museums, or interact with locals. This sounds good enough, but sporty tourists with adventurous spirits find these activities quite, well, routine. What they want is some action and a way to satisfy that adrenaline rush.
If you are in that league of travellers, then you might want to travel to another country for sports. This is an aspect of sports tourism, which is a kind of leisure travel that entails witnessing a sport. However, many are not simply satisfied at watching from the sidelines; they actually participate in the sport. Sports tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors in the travel and tourism industry, attracting both adventurous tourists and exceptionally skilled athletes. In fact, it has pumped around 600 billion US dollars in one year, a quarter of the global income generated in the worldwide travel and tourism industry.
There are many benefits that you, as a traveller, can get when you engage in sports tourism. Let us say you are an enthusiast of fast, modified road-legal cars. By travelling to another place to witness an internationally renowned rally race, you will know how experts tune and modify their machines to make them exceptionally fast and maneuverable. You can witness their techniques in negotiating rough roads, a helpful skill if you are an off-road racer yourself. You may even meet up with your favourite rally driver, have a photo of you and him together and show off that photo to your friends at home. Indeed, sports tourism gives you a bigger insight of the sport you are into rather than being limited to watching it on television or through the Internet.
As a sports tourist, you also enjoy a worthwhile “me time,” or personal time, which is quite rare thanks to today’s hectic society. By enjoying a sports activity in another country, you distance yourself from the stress of work and family lives. You have an opportunity to break from the monotonous routine of daily life and do what you really want. No boss, colleague, relative, or family member will nag, reprimand, or discourage you for climbing a cliff, scrambling up a mountain, racing a jet ski at breakneck speeds, or diving deep into a massive coral reef.
Finally, you contribute to the local economy. For instance, you plan to have great holidays to participate in a few sports. By doing so, you are promoting tourism in the region, advertising the place to friends back home as you enumerate your wonderful experiences. Also, when you shell out money, such as paying a stay in one of the hotels in Egypt, you are actually helping the economy of the region; your money is used to improve the place or hire more people to serve you better on your next visit.