SPORTS TOURISM AN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL TOOL

What is sports tourism?

The concept of sports tourism describes a segment made up of programs and activities with the specific purpose of promoting the practice of sports through competitions, festivals, fairs, workshops, whether at regional, state or national level, by amateur or professional athletes.

Sports tourism is geared toward those seeking to participate, whether as competitors (amateur or professional), spectators, organizers, sponsors, or commercial agents. This segment fosters the entire local tourism industry, including inns, restaurants, gas stations, bars, and more.

According to a study by Travel Leaders Group and the Adventure Travel Trade Association, the global adventure tourism market generated US$683 billion (approximately R$2.847 trillion) worldwide in 2018, before the pandemic. This segment encompasses adventure activities conducted in urban, natural, or rural settings.

An example is Canoeing, which has been growing a lot, especially in the State of São Paulo, through the Canoeing Federation of the State of São Paulo – FECAESP, which is the entity responsible for Canoeing in the State and has the mission of developing and promoting competitions, actions, programs and projects, especially in municipalities with less than 50 thousand inhabitants.

FECAESP has targeted competitions at these small municipalities. It's not a rule; the federation holds competitions in all interested municipalities in the state, regardless of whether they have 5,000 to 500,000 inhabitants. However, we prioritize agile access to public authorities, presentation meetings, and the development and construction of a state competition. In a large city, this can be slow due to access to public authorities.

What we have noticed in these small municipalities is the involvement of the population present in the competitions, as it is a novelty in the city and makes the event large, thus generating local income for the businesses that are working in the competition.

Today, a state competition has attracted nearly 500 people, including athletes, committees, organizers, and family members involved in the event. In other words, the economic and social impact is huge. This is a small municipality, but in a large city, this would not have a significant impact.

One of the main projects we've been developing is building on the legacy of the competition: developing a canoeing school, thus providing opportunities for children and adolescents, both girls and boys, from the public school system. The city of Iguape is a great example, a municipality of 29,000 inhabitants with enormous potential for canoeing, as it has a large volume of bathing water. After a state competition, we're working with the government to develop a canoeing school, in addition to other services that have emerged for nautical sports tourism.

Sport has a unique power to mobilize and inspire men and women, being a powerful social vehicle for gender equality and the empowerment of young people and adolescents.