Sports Business

23Feb By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Holidays & Trips, Sports Business, Sports Travel

Wilderness England: new adventure travel tour operator is launched

Wilderness England, a new tour operator offering adventure holidays in England’s National Parks and wildest areas, has launched this month.  A sister company to Wilderness Scotland and Wilderness Ireland, Wilderness England will tempt guests to the great outdoors with a programme of guided or self-guided small group trips, self-drive itineraries or private holidays explored on foot or by bike. Launching with 17 new adventures in some of the country’s remotest and most iconic corners, the programme will feature the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales, Peak District, Cotswolds and Northumberland, even sneaking into Wales for outdoor and cultural experiences. Accommodation is hand-picked: small hotels and inns with first rate customer service and fantastic local food. Paul Easto, man...

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22Feb By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Business, Sports Travel

Entries now open for the 2021 World Golf Awards

Golf tourism constitutes a vital segment of the global sports travel marketplace. And the success of the World Golf Awards over the past seven years has created much excitement within golf tourism, ensuring year-on-year growth for the industry event. World Golf Awards has announced its annual call for entries for inclusion in its 2021 programme. The best golf brands and products from across the world are invited to submit their applications to participate and stand a chance to win the ultimate industry accolade. This year’s programme celebrates the full spectrum of the global golf tourism sector. Categories include Best Golf Course, Best Golf Hotel and Golf Course Designer of the Year, and winners range from small companies to global brands. Voting runs from 23 February to 1 S...

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20Feb By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Business, Sports Travel

Flanders by Bike: VisitFlanders tourism board to launch new cycling website

The VisitFlanders tourism board in Belgium will launch a dedicated cycling website - flandersbybike.be - at the end of March. It will feature information about new routes, bike rental, luggage transport (for cycling holidays) and resting points. Some of the local themed routes include the Zenne cycle route close to Brussels’ green belt and home to a number of the region’s Gueze breweries and castles. The Voer Valley Cycle route will start and finish in Leuven and take in a number of beautiful castles and landmarks like Tevuren Park (home of the Africa Museum). Elsewhere, the Scheldeland (River Scheldt region) will offer a scenic route via the asparagus (also called "White Gold") growing region of Flanders.  Another route follows a former Vagrant colony route with fascinating sto...

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20Feb By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Events, Sports Business

The Ocean Race Europe: Genoa, Italy, will host event finale in June

Organisers of The Ocean Race Europe have confirmed that the inaugural edition of the sailing event will finish in Genoa in June this year.  The historic Italian maritime city (Genova in Italian) is already the home of The Grand Finale - the finish of the next edition of the round-the-world race in 2022-23. Now, Genoa will also host The Ocean Race Europe.  Richard Brisius, race chairman, said: “In The Ocean Race Europe we are realising a dream of many - a race between European cities with engaged fans and athletes achieving the extraordinary while driving change for a healthier planet.  “We understand the importance of teamwork, and collectively we back the EU work for Green Transition, digitalisation and unity. Our friends and partners in Genova also really understand the val...

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18Feb By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Events, Sports Business

Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach: iconic surfing event cancelled for 2021 – will return in 2022

World Surf League (WSL) has announced that the 2021 edition of the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach has been cancelled for 2021 but will return in 2022 after a new three-year deal was agreed with partners Rip Curl and the Victorian Government in Australia.  The WSL was unable to secure a pre-approved bubble in Victoria ahead of the event, leaving significant risk attached to sudden public health measures in reaction to Covid-19 such as lockdowns, state border restrictions, and event cancellations. The WSL respects and understands the decision of the Victorian Government in this challenging time. Andrew Stark, WSL Asia Pacific general manager, said: “It was an extremely difficult decision to cancel one of the most iconic events on the Championship Tour.  “However, we are genuinely exc...

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18Feb By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Events, Sports Business

Women’s cricket in England prepares for a ‘truly memorable summer’

Women’s cricket in England is set for a “new era” this summer with the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy returning to the schedule alongside the new Women’s Regional T20 tournament.  The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced the fixtures for the summer and there will be 56 matches played across both tournaments.  The Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy will begin on 29 May with each of the eight teams to play each other once in the group stage. The final is to be held on 25 September. The Women’s Regional T20 will start on 26 June with the eight teams split into two groups of four. Each team will play three home and three away matches during the group stage before Finals Day on 5 September.  Clare Connor, ECB managing director of women’s cricket, said: “This promises to be a truly...

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17Feb By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Business, Venues & Stadiums

LaLiga Exhibition: Spanish football to be showcased on world tour

LaLiga will later this year launch LaLiga Exhibition - an interactive and immersive experience showcasing Spanish football’s top division and its clubs.  The exhibition will travel around the world, beginning in Latin America in the second half of 2021. The launch marks the next step in LaLiga’s commitment to support its clubs in their international expansion and to bring the competition closer to fans. Fans will have access to two experiential areas at LaLiga Exhibition. The first is a free access area, with no time limits, where they can enjoy a range of different games plus a hospitality area. The second is a closed tour, with specific time slots for each group of visitors, where they can experience the clubs’ changing rooms, the tunnel leading to the pitch, the pressroom and inte...

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16Feb By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Business

2021 Sports ETA Annual Symposium rescheduled to October

Sports ETA, the trade association for the sports events and tourism industry in the United States, has confirmed that its three major spring events - Women’s Summit, Facilities Summit, and Annual Symposium - will now be rescheduled for the autumn.   The Sports ETA Annual Symposium will take place in Birmingham, Alabama from 25-29 October 2021. While the Women’s Summit and Facilities Summit will be delivered as live events in Birmingham, adjacent to the Annual Symposium. Schedule, details, and registration information will be announced in due course. Al Kidd, president and CEO of Sports ETA, said: “By co-hosting these three annual events, we can continue to deliver networking opportunities and educational programming for our membership while being sensitive to travel and budget expens...

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16Feb By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Business

Scottish Golf Tourism Week’s next edition will now be held in autumn

The staging of the 5th Scottish Golf Tourism Week, which was rearranged from November to this spring, has now been cancelled due to Covid-19 restrictions.  Organised by PSP Media Group, the event had originally been scheduled to take place at Fairmont St Andrews from 5-11 November 2020, but was then postponed to 31 March-1 April 2021. However, the recent developments and subsequent announcements early in 2021 relating to the pandemic’s continued impact has led to the cancellation of the rescheduled event. Organisers will now focus their efforts and work in tandem with partners VisitScotland on the return of Scottish Golf Tourism Week later this year with the 2021 event taking place as normal in the autumn. Dates will be announced in due course. Tom Lovering, PSP Media commerc...

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15Feb By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Events, Sports Business

#ILOVEUNITED: Man Utd to host global live virtual fan event for Chelsea clash

#ILOVEUNITED, Manchester United’s live virtual fan event, is going global for the Premier League fixture against Chelsea on 28 February and it will have a huge focus on the USA.  The latest edition of the event - which will be streamed worldwide across United’s website, app, MUTV channel, Facebook and YouTube platforms - will feature bespoke content aimed at the club’s fanbase in the US and include exclusive behind-the-scenes access and insight into the first team. The 90-minute pre-match programme will be hosted by MUTV presenter Mark Sullivan, who will be joined at Old Trafford by co-host and NFL legend Osi Umenyiora, and live from Los Angeles by Lord of The Rings actor Dominic Monaghan. Both lifelong fans of the club, they will be sharing their best United memories and pre-match a...

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14Feb By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Events, Sports Business

Beijing 2022: IOC marks one-year countdown to next Winter Olympics

To mark one year until the start of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has shone the spotlight on the athletes preparing for next year’s games.   Formally inviting the National Olympic Committees (NOC) and their winter sports athletes to participate in the 2022 mega-event, IOC president Thomas Bach said: “One year from now, Beijing will write history as the first city ever to host both the summer and winter editions of the Olympic Games. These games will connect the Chinese people with the world.  “Having seen how China is overcoming the coronavirus crisis, we are very confident that our Chinese hosts will ensure safe and secure Olympic Games in full cooperation with the IOC. “Every time that I have visited China, I am so impressed by the e...

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13Feb By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Business

Sport Liverpool board is created to oversee major events push

Liverpool is famous for its music, history and culture, but for many visitors it is sport and in particular football that is the real heartbeat of the north-west English city.   Home to two Premier League clubs, major stadia and arenas, Liverpool’s standing as a sporting destination has grown with events such as the Grand National horse race at Aintree and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon series. Liverpool will also host Rugby League World Cup 2021 fixtures at Anfield and the M&S Bank Arena while next year the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships will be held in the city.  Major sporting events are such a key driver for business and tourism that the city’s destination marketing organisation, Marketing Liverpool, has recently launched the Sport Liverpool board.  Cha...

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24Jan By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Events, Sports Business

February 2021 sports business industry events and conferences

With the Covid-19 pandemic still affecting meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE), virtually all sports business industry events in early 2021 will be held online.  February kicks off with the Golf Industry Show, Global Sports Week and ISPO Munich taking place in the first week of the month.  Other #SportsBiz events in February include the National Sports Forum Virtual Winter Summit, Women in Sport Digital Conference and fourth Japan Sports Week.  Related articles February 2021 sports events: what’s on the month’s sporting calendar?Sports business 2021 calendar: industry events and conferences2021 sports events calendar: month-by-month guideSport + Travel Magazine: sign up for the free monthly digital publication February 2021 sports business...

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1Jan By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Business

The Sports Tourism Blog: how to reach fans with ‘experiential’ sports marketing

During the MICE expo IBTM World Virtual 2020, Sports Tourism Media had the chance to listen to an interesting presentation by Juli Ferré Nadal, principal of Thinking Heads Sports. The talk focused on building a distinctive and exciting brand experience in the context of a sport event; establishing an emotional connection with fans and potential customers; and to assess how digital fits into an 'experiential' sports marketing campaign.  During the Covid-19 pandemic and various lockdowns in 2020, one area which left a big hole in our lives was when elite sports competitions were cancelled and there was no chance to be a spectator in a stadium or even to view on TV. We all came to realise just how important sport is and its ability to generate much emotion. When the English Premie...

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21Oct By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Events, Sports Business

‘Events. Reimagined’: business events campaign launched by VisitBritain

VisitBritain is urging event organisers to innovate and “reimagine the future” as the sector looks to recover from the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic. The UK’s £84bn events and MICE industry has been one of the hardest hit sectors by the coronavirus, with many venues still closed and conferences and exhibitions postponed or cancelled.  As part of its international hosted buyer partnership with The Meetings Show, the VisitBritain tourism agency has launched a new business events campaign - "Events. Reimagined". The aim of the campaign is to “reboot, refresh and reimagine” future events in the UK.     In a statement, VisitBritain said: “With such enormous upheaval recently, the events industry will see innovation and change unlike ever before. The new ‘Reimagine’ campaign is to he...

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13Oct By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Events, Holidays & Trips, Hotels & Resorts, Sports Business, Sports Travel, Venues & Stadiums

F1 Portuguese Grand Prix: motorsport fans get revved up for Algarve race

Motorsport fans could witness history at the next Formula 1 grand prix when it descends on the beautiful southern shoreline of the Algarve later this month.  Having equalled Michael Schumacher’s all-time record of 91 F1 victories by winning the Eifel GP at the Nürburgring, Lewis Hamilton could go one better with a win in Portugal and write a new chapter in the sport.  For that reason motorsport fans will be even more eager to say “I was there” if indeed Hamilton takes the checkered flag on 25 October.   This year the 2020 Portuguese GP takes place over 66 laps of the 4.684-kilometre Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão.  João Fernandes, president of Algarve Tourism, said: “Formula 1 has been absent from Portugal for 24 years and it is a prestigious inte...

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12Oct By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Business

Scottish Golf Tourism Week: 2020 event postponed and new dates announced for 2021

The fifth edition of Scottish Golf Tourism Week, which was due to take place in November, has now been postponed until 2021. This year’s event had been scheduled for 5-11 November, but the Covid-19 pandemic has forced organisers to amend their plans. The event at the Fairmont St Andrews will now take place from 30 March to 1 April 2021.  A statement read: “Following consultation with international tour operators faced with little prospect of being able to travel to Scotland, organisers have sought to postpone the event. The good news for the Scottish golf tourism industry is that new dates have now been announced with Scottish Golf Tourism Week now returning at the start of the 2021 golf season.” Tom Lovering, commercial director at PSP Media Group, added: “Scottish Golf Tour...

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11Oct By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Events, Guides, Sports Business

Racing League: 2021 meeting dates and how it works

Championship Horse Racing has confirmed that the inaugural season of the Racing League will begin in July 2021. Held over six consecutive Thursday evenings, the new flat racing competition will be contested at four of the UK’s leading racecourses - Doncaster, Lingfield Park, Newcastle and Royal Windsor. Racing League 2021 race days  Race Day 1: Newcastle – 29 July Race Day 2: Doncaster – 5 August Race Day 3: Lingfield Park – 12 August Race Day 4: Royal Windsor – 19 August Race Day 5: Lingfield Park – 26 August Race Day 6: Newcastle – 2 September Race Distances Each meeting will have six races over the following distances: 5 furlongs 6 furlongs 7 furlongs 8 furlongs – 1-mile race 10 furlongs – 1 and ¼ mile race 12 furlongs – 1 and ½ mile race The format will...

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5Oct By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Holidays & Trips, Hotels & Resorts, Sports Business, Sports Travel

Sport + Travel interview: Dinah Josephs, group fitness manager at The Campus, Quinta do Lago, Portugal

The wellness and activity holiday trend has been evolving rapidly over recent years. Right now there has never been a greater need for vacations which enhance your mental and physical needs, and Dinah Josephs, group fitness manager at The Campus, Quinta do Lago, Portugal is at the forefront of facilitating that trend. She has nearly two decades of experience under her belt as an international health, fitness and wellbeing lifestyle professional and consultant, in a range of sports environments. Dinah specialises in yoga practise, personal training, group fitness training, healthy eating, nutritional advice and guidance and natural health using a holistic approach to wellbeing. As for The Campus, Dinah cannot speak highly enough (and without bias) about her place of work. So read on...

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4Oct By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Business

Sport Events Congress 2021: Sport Tourism Canada aims to ‘bounce back’ in Ottawa

Sport Tourism Canada has announced the dates and host cities for the next four editions of its popular Sport Events Congress (SEC).  After the disappointment of having to cancel in 2020, Sport Tourism Canada is aiming to “bounce back” in the nation's capital when SEC21 is held at The Westin Ottawa in Ottawa from 7-8 April. The hybrid event will also feature “SEC Virtually” on 9 April.   SEC, a three-day interactive and educational event, has previously attracted more than 400 attendees. Delegates include sport organisations, event rights holders, destination tourism professionals, event suppliers, event management firms and hoteliers. Newsletter: sign up for updates from Sports Tourism Media 2021 #SportsBiz events and conferences https://www.youtube.com/watch...

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