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Dubai: With the spend trend on sports tourism reaching $51 billion a year, the Middle East and North Africa region should capitalise more on sporting events to drive the economy further and draw in more tourists, an official of a leading sports channel said.
Roberto Passariello, Eur-osport director for marketing, said sports are key drivers for tourism and have helped put a number of places including Dubai or the UAE on the world map.
"I can't think of anything more universal than sports. It is something that talks to every kind of person, to every kind of language. It's a powerful tool that can put a destination on the map, said Passariello at the 1st Dubai Lynx International Advertising Festival.
He said using Ski Dubai, the first indoor resort in the Middle East, in promotional activities, as well as Abu Dhabi's efforts to elevate the capital as an ideal location for golf events, are just a few examples of how effective sports can be in driving tourism.
"Sport is what makes people visit a place. Here you have the Ski Dubai. People don't usually associate Dubai with skiing, yet you use that as a way to create an awareness for the destination. That's an astonishing idea," Passariello said.
Industry experts said Dubai has already recognised the added value of sports tourism, having staged the Dubai World Cup - the world's wealthiest equestrian event - and other sporting activities such as tennis, rugby, golf, tennis and camel racing, among others.
Celebrities
Dubai was also quick to cash in on sport celebrities to put iconic places on the world map.
In preparation for the Dubai Men's Open in 2005, tennis legend Andre Agassi and the world No 1 Roger Federer staged a friendly on the world's highest court, the helipad of Burj Al Arab hotel.
"You are in a region that has a huge experience in this field because you're doing a lot of things around sports," said Passariello.
To explain how sporting events can boost tourism, he said the Rugby World Cup in France brought 400,000 additional visitors to France last summer.
In Germany, he said, the 2006 Fifa World Cup encouraged 90 per cent of the visitors to recommend the country for holidays.
"Germany is not on top of the tourism destination list for most Europeans. Yet, in the years following the event, 90 per cent of the World Cup visitors recommended Germany for holidays. And 86 per cent of the Germans think that the World Cup has enhanced their reputation in the world," said Passariello.
Singapore also announced recently that it is using sports as a key strategy to put itself firmly on track to achieve its 2015 tourism goals.
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