SportHost Victoria – Hosting Venues and Facilities for Local and International Sporting Events

Newsletter

2009 Report

At a time when money is tight, sport tourism remains a growth sector, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization.
In fact, numerous studies point to the ongoing buoyancy of spectator, participant, travel and hospitality revenues.

Leading sports cities Melbourne and Glasgow are confidently posting eight-fold returns on their investment in hosting sports events making sport tourism one of the most important components of their local economies.

SportBusiness Publishing Company based in London, England, notes that given its importance, and ability to deliver a powerful economic impact, sport tourism remains widely misunderstood. Cities, regions and countries have been content to see sport tourists and sport event hosting as “a good thing” without necessarily being clear what benefits actually accrue and the true value of them.

In fact the very terms sport tourism and sport events cover such a broad spectrum of activities that clarity of thinking and crunchy data has been hard to obtain.

Bidding to host sports events has become a competitive business with many cities, regions, and countries vying to attract major games. Neither is it only, or even especially about the Olympics and FIFA World Cup. Whilst these events grab the headlines for the vast majority of destinations these events will never figure.

For most, hosting a federation championship or the staging of a touring sports property is much more appropriate and can deliver impressive visitor numbers. This is where Victoria’s sport tourism strategy is focused and is providing the greatest results.

During 2009 Greater Victoria hosted thirty-five provincial and ten national championships in the sports of hockey, soccer, track & field, swimming, diving, curling, sailing, lawn bowling, and softball.

This year Victoria’s sport tourism strategy has also focused on taking advantage of our proximity to Vancouver and the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. Invitations have been sent out to the 41 international sport federations that have qualified athletes and teams in the few winter sports that can be hosted in Victoria (hockey, figure skating, curling, sledge hockey and wheelchair curling). The invitations over the signatures of the region’s six mayors who have ice facilities in their municipalities, suggests holding training camps in Victoria before moving over to the Athletes Village in Vancouver.

Add these events to the more than twenty international and invitational tournaments hosted annually in the region, our professional and semi-professional teams, the opening of the Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence at Camosun College and the Canadian University Regional and National University Championships hosted by UVic, before year end will see Victoria nudging close to a $70 Million economic impact from sport related activity taking place in the community.

SportHost Victoria is a sport tourism partnership supported by its community members, including PacificSport Victoria, Tourism Victoria, the City of Victoria, UVic and Camosun College.

For more information contact: Hugh MacDonald (250) 744-5528; hmacdonald@sporthostvictoria.com

www.sporthostvictoria.com

“Victoria is Where Champions are Made!”