Sports Travel

22Feb By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Travel

Head to BikePark Wales for the UK’s ultimate mountain bike experience

Two major trends which have blossomed over the last few years and certainly risen to greater prominence during the pandemic, is the "staycation" and "biking" in all its forms. Feeding off both of these, BikePark Wales has launched an all-new mountain bike experience for beginner riders at its purpose-built resort in the foothills of the Brecon Beacons. The new package is the perfect way to celebrate the easing of lockdown this summer, and it's ideal for families and novice mountain bikers looking for a fun introduction to the sport. As well as a personal guide, the park will provide guests with everything one needs including bikes and all the kit, plus lifts back to the top of the hill.  Located in the beautiful Gethin forest, BikePark Wales is home to the UK's greatest and...

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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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13Feb By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Events, Guides, Sports Travel

European Tour golf 2021 schedule: tournaments, majors and big events

After a stop-start year in 2020, the European Tour is looking forward to an action-packed 2021 for men’s golf.  Announcing the 2021 calendar, the European Tour confirmed a minimum of 42 tournaments in 24 countries and 18 returning tournaments which were postponed or cancelled in 2020 due to Covid-19.  As well as the regular Race to Dubai events, the 2021 season will also include four Rolex Series tournaments, the four majors, WGCs, Olympics and Ryder Cup. The 2021 campaign will conclude with the DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai from 18-21 November. Keith Pelley, chief executive of the European Tour, said: “There is no question that the challenge of reshaping our 2020 season in many ways informed our approach to 2021. One of the key learnings w...

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29Jan By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Events, Sports Travel

What is Europe’s oldest marathon?

I suspect the majority of even seasoned marathon runners would think London, Paris or Berlin to be the oldest marathon in Europe, making the answer even more intriguing. In fact Slovakia’s second largest city Kosice holds this accolade; so how did this come about? Ramy James Salameh finds out... In 2024 the Kosice Peace Marathon will celebrate its 100th anniversary, a milestone that Cassovians are extremely proud of. The marathon is the headline act for a city where sport is part of the very fabric and feeds into a truly diverse range of sporting experiences. The International Peace Marathon was inaugurated in 1924 and really is the torch bearer for sport in this fascinating city, and has given rise to many more sporting activities, clubs and titles. Kosice was awarded the status of ...

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26Jan By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Events, Guides, Sports Travel

February 2021 sports events: what’s on the month’s sporting calendar?

The sporting year ramps up in February with many major sports events on the calendar. They don’t come much bigger than the NFL Super Bowl which takes place on Sunday 7 February at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida. See an event guide to Super Bowl LV here. Other major sporting events in the second month of 2021 include the Australian Open tennis grand slam in Melbourne, the Fifa Club World Cup in Qatar and the opening three rounds of the Six Nations rugby union championship.  Here we look at the big sporting events taking place in February 2021. Main image credit: raymondjamesstadium.com Related articles 2021 UK and global major sports events: month-by-month calendar2021 sports business events and conferencesSix Nations 2021: fixtures, venues and times ...

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15Jan By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Events, Guides, Sports Travel

A guide to… NFL Super Bowl LV

A sports event guide to... NFL SUPER BOWL LV Tampa Bay in Florida will have the sporting world’s spotlight shining on it when the NFL’s showpiece event, the Super Bowl, is held at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday 7 February. Home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the stadium usually has a capacity of 65,890. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the attendance has been limited to only 22,000 spectators. Of the 22,000, the NFL says 7,500 will be vaccinated health care workers who are invited as guests to “thank and honour them for their continued extraordinary service during the pandemic”. After the completion of the NFC and AFC conference championship matches, it’s the Buccaneers and reigning champions Kansas City Chiefs who will play in Super Bowl LV. Tom Brady’s Bucs will be aiming to wi...

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1Jan By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Guides, Sports Travel

Great Lakes USA golf guide | Ryder Cup 2021

The Great Lakes USA will once again host golf’s biggest event, the Ryder Cup, with the biennial competition taking place from 24-26 September 2021 at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin. This is the fourth time since 2004 that the Ryder Cup has been held in the Great Lakes region, which consists of the states of Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Ohio.  In 2016, the Ryder Cup was held at Hazeltine Golf Club in Minnesota, which hosts it again in 2028. Medinah, Illinois was the destination in 2012 and in 2004 Oaklands Hills in Michigan hosted the event.   Wisconsin golf guide The 2021 Ryder Cup is expected to be one of the largest sporting events ever hosted in the state of Wisconsin and Whistling Straits is the first public course in a generation to host the golfin...

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1Jan By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Travel

Sport and travel-related 30-day challenges for New Year 2021

Getting out to watch live sport or travelling to a sporting destination may be off limits for many of us in early 2021, but that doesn’t mean you can’t set yourself some new year resolutions. From fitness and yoga to photography and reading, here’s some sports travel ideas for your 30-day challenges in January.  By Mike Starling  Running and walking You don’t need to go all Rocky and be up at 4am for a 10-mile run through the snow. Just put your trainers on and go for a 10- or 15-minute run or jog outside. It will be tough at first, but take it slow and build it up. If running isn’t your thing, then just make walking a daily routine.  Download an exercise or fitness app This is one thing I will be doing in the new year. I’m not a big fan of the gym (except for the t...

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1Jan By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Events, Guides, Sports Travel

NFL 2020-2021 schedule: conference championship games and Super Bowl LV

The NFL’s 2020-2021 regular season is over and the playoffs are in full swing. After the completion of the Wild Card and divisional rounds, it's now time for the AFC and NFC conference championship games on Sunday 24 January. The winners of the championship games will then proceed to Super Bowl LV. This year's Super Bowl will be held on Sunday 7 February 2021 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. NFC Conference Championship  Who: Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Green Bay Packers When: Sunday 24 January 2021 Start time: 8.05pm (GMT) UK TV coverage: Sky Sports NFL and Sky Sports Main Event AFC Conference Championship  Who: Buffalo Bills @ Kansas City Chiefs When: Sunday 24 January 2021 Start time: 11.40pm (GMT) UK TV coverage: Sky Sports NF...

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6Nov By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Events, Sports Travel

F1 Saudi Arabian GP will be ‘biggest sports event in country’s history’

Formula 1 will be heading to Saudi Arabia after it was confirmed that Jeddah will host a grand prix in November 2021.  The city on the Red Sea will be home to the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and take place at night on a street circuit on Jeddah’s corniche. Chase Carey, chairman and CEO of Formula 1, said: “Saudi Arabia is a country that is rapidly becoming a hub for sports and entertainment with many major events taking place there in recent years and we are very pleased that Formula 1 will be racing there from next season.  “The region is hugely important to us and with 70% of the population of Saudi being under 30 we are excited about the potential to reach new fans and bring our existing fans around the world exciting racing from an incredible and historic loca...

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6Nov By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Travel

Client news: Enjoy Tatras DMC launch sports travel guide for UK market

Ahead of WTM Virtual 2020, Enjoy Tatras DMC in Slovakia commissioned Sports Tourism Media to create a bespoke and dedicated “sports travel guide” to the Tatras and Liptov mountain region, which brings to life one of Europe’s most enthralling natural environments. The guide is full of inspirational ideas and ways to spend a vacation through active adventure, health and wellness and of course a unique mountain culture with incredible stories to tell.  There are articles on hiking and cycling in a region that is still the habitat for around 150 brown bears, and a focus on the latest health and wellness trends such as “cryotherapy”. There’s also interviews with some of Slovakia’s leading sports stars and a range of “top things to do” lists.   The sports travel guide wil...

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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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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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30Sep By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

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

Sport + Travel Interview: Marco Koch – Olympic elite swimmer

It is not often you have the chance to pose questions to a European and World Champion swimmer, who is the former world record holder in the 200 meter breaststroke (short course). So here at Sports Tourism Media we are both excited and delighted to introduce Marco Koch, a German competitive swimmer, specialising in breaststroke events who has competed at the 2012 & 2016 Summer Olympics and took gold at the 2015 World Aquatics Championships in Kazan, Russia. Marco says "I'm in my comfort zone in the water as swimming is my passion. I enjoy every second. The water unfolds my full potential. It carries and leads me. Water gives me a great feeling." (marco-koch.org, 20 Jan 2018). We are grateful Marco has taken time out of a gruelling training regime to answer our questions… Newsletter:...

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29Sep By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Events, Sports Travel

Golf’s European Tour heads to Scotland and England as part of second UK swing

The 2020 European Tour golf season heads into the final straight with seven tournaments and a major championship left to play on the schedule. There was no Open Championship this year because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but the Tour’s reworked schedule has included four more events in the UK.  After July and August tournaments in England and Wales, September’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at Galgorm Castle Golf Club in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, saw the start of the Tour’s second UK swing in 2020.  The next two events on the schedule - the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open and BMW PGA Championship - are part of the Rolex Series, while the Scottish Championship is one of three new tournaments this year.  Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open takes pl...

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26Sep By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Business, Sports Travel

An £84bn industry in crisis: surely jobs in events and MICE are ‘viable’?

In September the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak outlined the UK government’s “Winter Economy Plan” which will see the furlough scheme replaced and more support given to sectors hit hard by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.  While Sunak unveiled the new Job Support Scheme, which will launch on 1 November for six months, he also announced plans for business loans, VAT cuts and help for the self-employed.  The Treasury also said the new scheme will protect “viable jobs” in companies who are “facing lower demand over the winter months due to coronavirus”. So which jobs are deemed as “viable”. It’s a question many professionals across the UK are seeking answers for. Sky News business presenter Ian King asks: which are the workers who are most at risk of losing ...

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13Sep By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Guides, Sports Travel

What is the world’s best sports city? Here’s 30 you should visit…

If you ask the question “what is the world's best sports city?” the answers won’t just be varied but it could also start a huge debate.  Take the United States for example. You have Boston - home of NFL’s New England Patriots, baseball’s Red Sox, NBA’s Celtics and NHL’s Bruins - which was named America’s best sports city in 2020 by Forbes magazine.  Would residents of Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Chicago or New York agree with the Forbes ranking? Of course not, but this is the beauty of such a list, it certainly gets sports fans talking... In February communications agency Burson Cohn & Wolfe (BCW) published its 2020 ranking of the best sports cities and it was New York that took top spot ahead of London, Paris, Los Angeles and Lausanne.   Is New York a be...

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10Sep By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

Sports Travel

Sport + Travel Interview: Nicola Checcarelli, an Umbrian elite cyclist

Nicola Checcarelli started cycling as a child, rising to an elite category within the sport whilst competing in Tuscany. He counts himself as extremely lucky to have made cycling, not only his job but his pastime making him a long-time advocate of sports travel to the region. Since 2004, he has covered various journalistic roles, for example, with the Periodical Publishing Company, publisher of the specialized magazines Bicisport, Cicloturismo and Mtb Magazine. This has allowed him to focus on the Umbrian Region, with specific emphasis on the promotion of cycling tourism. He has also worked in specialized cycling shops. He now continues to compete at an amateur level, dealing with bio-mechanics and is also the editor for the online magazine BiciDaStrada.it. As you will continue to rea...

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1Sep By Sports Tourism NewsNo Comments

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

‘Escapade Living’ brings motorsport to your living room window

It is somewhat of an understatement to say that 2020 has been and continues to be a year of seismic changes. The pandemic changed the world as we know it and whilst much pain – mental, physical and economic – continues to affect our lives, it has catalysed the need to for adaptability, innovation and resilience, especially within all areas of the travel sector. Clearly the travel industry that emerges at the end of this year will be very different from the one that entered it. But one thing the pandemic has turbocharged is the growing trend for ‘experiential travel’. Experiential travel – in which the traveller immerses themselves in a destination rather than superficially seeing it – is now coming of age in double time. The sports travel sector is of course at the very forefront...

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