Sport tourism: a perspective article

James Higham

Abstract James Higham is based at

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review the past 75 years of sports tourism and explore the Department of Tourism,
potential of the next 75 years. Otago Business School,
Design/methodology/approach – This is a personal perspective paper that reflects upon the University of Otago,
emergence and development of the field of sport tourism, contemporary challenges and future pathways. Dunedin, New Zealand.
Findings – Research must extend to wider manifestations of sport, and sport-related tourism, in
response to the growth of participation and pleasure sports and the increasingly important roles of those
sports in addressing the growing social and environmental challenges of contemporary life.
Originality/value – This paper offers insights into the future of sports tourism.
Keywords Sport tourism, Future perspectives, Lifestyle sports, Participation and pleasure sports,
Power and performance sports
Paper type Viewpoint

Introduction
In the context of the platinum anniversary of Tourism Review, sport has been a late starter.
The first half of the 75-year history of Tourism Review had passed before the study of sport
tourism started to gain a foothold in the tourism scholarly literature. Increasing academic
attention was inevitable given enormous social and economic changes in the period from
1960 to 1990. Sport is, like tourism, a socially constructed phenomenon (Andrews, 2006),
and the period from the 1960s witnessed the rapid and continuing evolution of sports and
tourism in many societies (Weed and Bull, 2012). These trends included an expanding
demographic profile of sport participants, increasing interest in active living, health and
fitness, and increasing demand for active engagement in recreational sports during leisure
and holiday time (Glyptis, 1989; Higham and Hinch, 2018). We have also witnessed
revolutionary changes in the production of sports and in sport participation. The
democratisation of sport (Standeven and De Knop, 1999) was at the same time mirrored by
revolutionary change in the production and consumption of tourism (Hall, 2004). These
sport and tourism development trajectories have become increasingly integrated (Glyptis,
1991) and convergent over time (Higham and Hinch, 2018), to the point that in February
2001, the United National World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and International Olympic
Committee (IOC) hosted their first international conference on sport and tourism in
Barcelona (Spain). This represented a defining moment in the recognition of the expanding
links between sport and tourism by these international organisations. Since 2001, there has
been growing interest on the part of sport and tourism organisations, destination
managements and sports organisations, in the ever-expanding interface and growing
scope for innovation in the sport and tourism industries.

Past perspectives: 75 years of developments (1946-2020)

Received 14 October 2019
The convergence of interests in the contributions of sport to tourism (and vice-versa) was Revised 6 November 2019
first recognised and expressed by Sue Glyptis (1991, p. 165) who stated that “In terms of Accepted 15 November 2019

DOI 10.1108/TR-10-2019-0424 © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1660-5373 j TOURISM REVIEW j

 popular participation, and in some aspects of practice, (sport and tourism) are inextricably
linked. . . and there are sound reasons for those links to strengthen”. Those links have
indeed strengthened in subsequent years, initially driven by interests in hallmark and global
mega sports events (Hall, 1992a). Global mega sports events, most notably the Olympic
Games and FIFA World Cup, and locally unique recurring hallmark events such as
Wimbledon, where locale and sport are indivisible and inseparable, have been a primary
focus of tourism scholarship in this field (Weed, 2007). What has followed has been
increasingly critical and nuanced insights into the broader contributions of sports to tourism
studies, including active engagement in adventure sports (Hall, 1992b), the development of
professional sports leagues (Higham and Hinch, 2003; Mason and Duquette, 2008) and the
development of lifestyle sports (Wheaton, 2014). Sport and tourism studies have developed
and matured to address sports fandoms (Giulianotti, 1995), authenticity (Hinch and
Higham, 2005), place and identity (Ramshaw and Hinch, 2006) and sport heritage
(Ramshaw, 2019), among many other important topics. These pathways of development
offer rich avenues of innovation in the delivery of sport-related tourism experiences
(Table 1).

Future perspectives: 2020-2095

The functions of sport in society have increased and diversified over time. Indeed the IOC
now claims sport to be a human right, and the United Nations considers sport to be a tool
for humanitarianism and human development (United Nations, 2017). Today and over the
course of the 75 years ahead, sport practices and the meanings, identities and lifestyles
associated with sports will continue to offer unique and diverse reflections of societies that
are ever-evolving (Higham and Hinch, 2018). It is important to reflect upon continuing
changes in different societies and how those changes are mirrored in evolving sports
practices. We now see the removal of barriers to engagement in sport, and sport-related
tourism, as evident in the growing recognition of the importance of disability sports events
(Dickson et al., 2016). Important questions also arise regarding the ethics and inequities of
neo-colonialism in developing nations, where sports such as surfing are subject to the
mainstreaming and commercialising interest of global sports organisations and
multinational conglomerates (Ponting and McDonald, 2013; Doering, 2018).
More broadly, Higham and Hinch (2018) note the growth of “serious leisure” engagement in
competitive sports, where the measurement of personal performance is self-referenced
rather than result focussed. Since the turn of the millennium, the growth and increasing
diversification of individualized, unstructured, freestyle sports has been observed (Coakley,
2017; Andrews, 2006). New generation sports are associated with strong subcultures
through which participants are able to construct a sense of personal and/or collective
identity (Hagen and Boyes, 2016). These are sports in which performance may be measure
not by results, but rather by aesthetics, style and meaning (Falcous, 2017). These dynamics

Table 1 Avenues of sport tourism innovation and development

Partnership Private, public and third sector working together

Innovation Innovation & Creativity in Event Production

Delivery New venues in host locations widening scope of opportunity to host
Experience Creation of enhanced spectator & participant experience
Local Culture Showcase and integration with community and cultural activity
Volunteers Resource of local pool of event makers and ambassadors to attract future events
Government Involvement from Central and Local Government
Competition Continuous emerging destinations investing in events and facilities
Digital Media Spectator and participant exposure to global event best practice globally
Legacy More focus on social value generation and legacy planning from outset
Source: World Travel Market (2015)

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of sport are a reflection of individual identities that have been confused, and national
identities that have been eroded by the forces of globalisation (Higham and Hinch, 2009).
The growth of online gaming and virtual sports and the development and hybridisation of
sports are avenues of continuing evolution. Spector and Higham (2019) speculate that in
the 75 years ahead increasing access to space will spawn a new generation of sports, some
of which are already in development, such as solar powered lunar sailing and revolutionary
new venues for weightless and zero-gravity sports.
It is now recognised that sport and tourism should be founded on the principles of
opportunity and inclusion. The United Nations (2017) recognises physical activity to be
central to human health, whereas tourism is increasingly viewed in relation to quality of
life and subjective well-being (McCabe, 2009), as well as in relation to social and family
capital (Minnaert et al., 2009). Yet, participation in many sports, recreational pursuits and
tourism remains unequally distributed (Hall, 2004). Participation in physical activities is
now beset with concerns surrounding increasingly sedentary and unhealthy lifestyles and
obesity in some societies (Coakley, 2017). Exclusion continues to be a feature of many
contemporary sports. Gender inequality is deeply entrenched across different levels of
competitive and non-competitive sports, in terms of both participation and
administration. Children remain vulnerable to exploitation by national sports regimes
(Coakley, 2017).
As in sport, tourism continues to be used to distinguish and differentiate between
social strata and entrench social relationships (Cohen, 1984). It has been widely
recognized that high personal mobility (Hall, 2004) and increasing interest in both
passive and active engagements in physical activities (Glyptis, 1991) are two defining
features of late 20th century and early 21st century societies, yet in many societies
personal mobility and freedoms to travel are constrained (Hall, 2004). The future of
sport and tourism research must address national and regional policy settings that
align with the United Nations’ sustainable development goals (SDGs) 2015-2030.
Addressing social inclusion in sport and tourism relates directly to SDGs 3 (good
health and well-being), 5 (gender equity), 10 (reduced inequalities), 12 (responsible
consumption and production), 16 (promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies) and
17 (partnerships for sustainable development) (Dickson et al., 2016). Over the coming
75 years, we will face significant challenges relating to sustainable development,
including rising inequalities, global health threats, environmental degradation, natural
resource depletion and climate change. The socio-cultural, economic and political
forces that shape sport and tourism practices have important roles to play in
transforming our societies to meet these challenges.

Conclusions
Expanding personal mobilities and increasingly diverse engagements in sport justify
further scholarly interest in the intersection of sport and tourism (Glyptis, 1982; Maguire,
1994; Standeven and De Knop, 1999; Weed and Bull, 2004; Gibson, 2006). Research
continues to address the field of global sports events. Yet, it remains the case that while
“[. . .] the vast majority of mega-events are hosted by industrialized states, discourse and
research on the processes and impacts of these events tend to be framed around the
economic and political circumstances characteristic of the developed world”
(Cornelissen, 2004, p. 40). Meanwhile, critical avenues of research must extend to wider
manifestations of sport, and sport-related tourism, in recognition of social changes that
have given rise to the growth of participation and pleasure sports, and the increasingly
important roles of those sports in addressing the growing social and environmental
challenges of contemporary life. The UNWTO will host the World Sports Tourism
Congress in Catalunya in May 2020. This important Congress will inform the sport tourism
research agenda for the years ahead.

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Further reading
Higham, J.E.S. and Hinch, T.D. (2009), Sport and Tourism: Globalization, Mobility and Identity, Elsevier,
Oxford.
United Nations (2015), “Transforming our world: the 2030 agenda for sustainable development”,
available at: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/post2015/transformingourworld (accessed 10
September 2018).

Corresponding author
James Higham can be contacted at: [email protected]

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