Back in September last year, a tweet about the football World Cup managed to find a place on thousands of timelines. It read, “If you get your Mrs pregnant now, then by the time it’s born in nine months, you get a freaky little two weeks paternity leave for World Cup 2018.”
As far-fetched as that plan may sound, it isn’t uncommon for sport lovers to plan their lives around such events. And for most of them, the annual holiday and the big sports event of the year, often end up becoming the same thing. With over a million tourists expected to visit Russia this year (according to the Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko), sports tourism, or travel that involves either observing or participating in a sports event, has become bigger than ever before.
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It represented an annual business of $10.47 billion in 2016, according to the National Association of Sports Commissions, and is said to be one of the fastest-growing sectors of the global travel industry.
Sport vs tourism
Naturally, the trend is being reflected among Indian tourists as well, with a record number expected to visit Russia for the football World Cup (which begins June 14). For some of them, the country would otherwise rank low on their list of must-visit destinations. But the atmosphere, with a million other football fans, is not one that can be easily passed up. “The World Cup in Russia, for me, is a bit of both,” explains Swaroop Subramanian, when asked if the sport takes precedence over the country. “Experiencing the World Cup culture first-hand is the reason why I’m going to Russia. But visiting places such as Moscow, St Petersburg and even the city of Kazan, is equally important to me,” he adds.
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He plans to be there for the group stages of the cup, explaining that he isn’t going there to support one particular team. But for those who do, a pre-planned month-long sports event, might not be the most ideal place to be. Mohamed Majid, an England and Manchester United supporter, planned his trip to South Africa for the 2010 World Cup, months in advance. But when England was eliminated early on, the experience turned sour. “The sport is more important than tourism. So when I plan such a trip, the dream is for England to lift the World Cup and for me to be part of that moment. When England lost out in South Africa, I lost interest. After all the effort and money you put in, you don’t want to be watching matches like the US versus Ghana.”
The Indian fanatic
Fanatic Sports, a Kolkata-based company, specialises in sports ticketing, hospitality and experiential travel to some of the world’s biggest sporting events. Founded by football fan Raghav Gupta, the idea for the company came to him after he discovered how difficult it was for a fan to travel to a major sports event outside the country.
“After watching matches in India, a cricket fan dreams of watching the Ashes at the Lord’s or a big match among 90,000 other fans at MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground). What they do outside these stadiums comes second to them,” Gupta says, adding that a majority of his customers are still cricket fans, followed closely by football supporters.
For others, a sports event gives them a chance to discover experiences they never thought would be possible. “Most sports, other than cricket, take just two or three hours of the day,” points out Pulasta Dhar, a sports commentator who has attended several tournaments. He ranks tennis and football as the two most “tourist-friendly” games. “When you have so much free time after the games, you end up exploring the city. Instead of sitting in a hotel room, I prefer to go watch the teams practise. That’s how I watched Portugal and Holland up close and got autographs signed by the teams.
- 2018: Sporting Calendar
- April 4-15: Commonwealth Games, Gold Coast, Australia
- April 5-8: Golf – Masters, Augusta National, Georgia
- May 26: Football – Champions League final, Kiev, Ukraine
- July 2-15: Tennis – Wimbledon
- July 7-29: Cycling – Tour de France
- August 1-5: Cricket – England v India Test series starts at Edgbaston
- November 11: Formula 1 - Brazilian Grand Prix, Sao Paulo
It’s a time to discover new cultures and food too. “The fish and chips in Manchester is much better than in London,” argues Majid on his food discovery. “It is during a football World Cup that I got to taste snails for the first time,” adds Dhar. “I also got to see a polar bear. I remember these just as much as the games.”
India as a destination
While cricket is the main attraction for tourists from other countries, “India falls far behind in other sports and their tourism,” says Rishi Narain, a board member of the India Golf Industry Association.
“Thailand has developed into a major golf tourism destination in a span of 20 years. As a country, we need to bring in tournaments and major players, because the amount of money a golf lover spends on a holiday is much more than other sports.”
He sites the case of a team of 20 American millionaires and golfers who recently flew in to Kolkata on a private jet to participate in the iconic Royal Calcutta Golf Club. Says Narain, “There’s demand, and if we can build golfing infrastructure in a place like Goa, which is on the international tourist map, we can generate income that runs into hundreds of millions.”