10 LESSONS FROM THE 2024 SPORTS TOURISM CONGRESS

 

[Article based on a communication from IST Events].

It's hard to sum up a day and a half of fascinating discussions and exchanges in the magnificent Palais Beaumont! Sport-Guide has nevertheless lent itself to the game with a non-exhaustive spotlight on the essential elements to remember from this 2ᵉ edition of the Sports Tourism Congress held in Pau on October 7 and 8.

 

 1. A "MINISTERIAL" OPENING

"Let's not just be the world's leading tourist destination, let's also commit to becoming the leading destination for sustainable sports tourism."

The words come from the Minister of Tourism, Marina Ferrari, who was detained in Paris, but was keen to take part through a video testimonial in the form of a roadmap.

 

2. THE NEW PRESIDENT OF DOMAINES SKIABLES DE FRANCE SPEAKS FOR THE FIRST TIME

Elected just a few days earlier, Anne Marty spoke at length on a number of key subjects, with strong opinions on everything from mountain development and its new economic model to the burning issues of the day, such as the closure of the Alpe du Grand Serre resort and the 2030 Winter Games.

 

3. KEY FIGURES TO MEASURE AND UNDERSTAND FRENCH SPORTS TOURISM

No less than 16 to 17 million primary and secondary sports tourists in 2023, 5 million involved in roaming, Auvergne Rhône Alpes, the leading destination in France, ahead of PACA, Occitanie and Nouvelle Aquitaine, and 78% of sports tourists who stay in France to practice their sport, or some 31% who place respect for the environment in their travel motivation...

These are some of the figures taken from the study on sports tourism commissioned by the Ministry of Sport and Olympic Games and the Ministry of the Economy, and carried out by Olbia and Médiafilière. The first day also ended with a detailed and detailed assessment of the summer season, the famous Union Sport & Cycle Summer Debrief.

 

4. KEY FIGURES TO MEASURE AND UNDERSTAND FRENCH SPORTS TOURISM

21% of foreign visitors are "surveyors", in other words, sports tourists, according to a ground-breaking study incorporating the responses of 20,000 visitors from 30 different countries, presented for the first time at this Congress by Atout France.

 

5. SUSTAINABILITY AND RESPONSIBILITY AT THE HEART OF TOPICS AND REFLECTIONS

Making choices rather than giving up... A posture backed up by the examples of the Bourg Saint-Maurice / Les Arcs (73) commune, which found a consensus for the "non-redevelopment" of the Aiguilles Rouges glacier, when the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department excluded from its communication audiences identified as non-priorities after its study cross-referencing the carbon impact of the route and the economic spin-offs. These are concrete examples of how territories can now think and act jointly on the themes of environment AND economic attractiveness.

 

6. REFLECTION, EXCHANGE AND NETWORKING

Resolutely conceived as a unifying event, this 2ᵉ Congress once again brought together on stage and off, decision-makers, institutions, territories, federations such as Union Sport & Cycle and Eurosima, equipment manufacturers, sports brands (Intersport, Sport2000 and Groupe Skiset), private players, event organizers or associations...

 

7. THE INDISPENSABLE IMPACT CALCULATION

Christophe Lepetit, head of economic studies at the Centre de Droit et d'Économie du Sport, showed how impact studies have gradually become an integral part of the thinking and organization of sporting events over the last 20 years.

"And if we started with economic impact studies, it's clear that we can no longer separate economic, social and environmental studies".

...testified the expert who is working in particular on the impact of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, after having worked on those of the Méribel/Courchevel World Championships, the 2018 Ryder Cup and Euro 2016 soccer.

 

8. TAKING ALL PUBLICS INTO ACCOUNT FOR THE FUTURE OF SPORTS TOURISM

The potential of sports tourism is immense, and will be even more so if players take into account an ever-wider range of potential customers, whether by working on inclusive sports tourism (Handispot) or more family-oriented tourism (Terra Aventura in New Aquitaine). But also by building up a range of services for specific profiles, such as the "bike-friendly" services at the foot of the Tourmalet (Pyrenees) or in Spain.

 

9. SPORTING EVENTS & CULTURE, A LIFE-SAVING BLEND

Like the success of the Outdoormix Festival (Embrun) and the FISE (Montpellier, and now a concept used in France and around the world), built around a hybrid model of sports and concerts. France can also seize even more of the potential of visiting sports tourism. Spain, for example, has turned it into a powerful lever, with cities such as Barcelona capitalizing on its Olympic legacy to propel its FC Barcelona museum into third place among the country's most-visited museums. A crucial axis for building the legacy of the 2024 Olympic Games.

 

10. FEDERATING SPORTS TOURISM PLAYERS OVER THE MONTHS

The Union Sport & Cycle announced during the congress that it would be coordinating a listing of the more than 24,000 players in the sports tourism sector, and organizing exchanges on market issues and best practices.

To amplify the movement towards more sustainable tourism, the federation's sports tourism commission is focusing on supporting low-carbon mobility in tourist areas. Inspired by Carlos Moreno's concept of the "city of the quarter-hour", the commission aims to promote bicycle mobility in the tourist industry. Identifying the rental offer, making it more accessible, complementing infrastructures with digital tools to enable every customer to get around easily, safely and without carbon emissions.