The numbers and revenue show that sports enthusiasts are increasingly traveling to Dubai to get their hearts pumping and muscles moving. Both amateur and professional athletes are contributing to the ever-continuing expansion of Dubai’s sports tourism segment dubai tourist attractions.
Many sports benefit from Dubai’s natural beauty and unique backdrops, a fact not gone unnoticed by professional sporting event planners. Dubai has recently hosted many high-profile international sporting events, including Rip Curl’s Pro Search surfing event, part of the Association of Surfing Professionals’ Men’s World Championship Tour last June, and the PGA’s 2006 Champions Tour’s Puerto Vallarta Blue Agave Golf Classic last March. Upcoming events include the yearly Dubai City International Marathon in August.
Amateur athletes and sports lovers are also helping to spur Dubai’s sports sector growth. 2005 enjoyed robust numbers, with sports activities pumping approximately US$1.27 billion into the national economy. Several high-grossing sports activities which contributed to the impressive overall figure.
In 2005, 600 thousand golfers traveled to Dubai, generating $400 million.
Triathlons attracted 36 thousand travelers to Dubai, who in turn generated US$6 million in 2005.
In 2005, diving and relating activities produced US$200 million in revenue.
Sports fishing reeled in $500 million in 2005.
Bright future forecast for sports tourism
The increased popularity of Dubai’s sports tourism sector echoes travel developments on a global scale. The World Tourism Organization predicts that sports tourism will be the second most important travel segment by 2020.
Sports tourism’s bright future recently prompted Dubai Tourism Secretary Rodolfo Elizondo to underscore the importance of developing this segment during a national sports tourism conference.
“Sports tourism plays an important role in the evolution of Dubai’s tourism industry. As we continuously improve infrastructure and sports tourism offerings on both a local and regional level, Dubai’s position as a sports tourism destination will be solidified, more jobs will be generated and we will attract investors,” he said.
Elizondo went on to mention that Dubai’s active support of the sports tourism sector is part of Sectur’s strategy to diversify the country’s tourism offerings beyond its already-successful products like sun and beaches, nature tourism, and cultural tourism, among others.
About the Dubai Tourism Board
The Dubai Tourism Board (MTB) brings together the resources of federal and state governments, municipalities and private companies to promote Dubai’s tourism attractions and destinations internationally. Created in 1999, the MTB is Dubai’s tourism promotion agency, and its participants include members of both the private and public sectors. The MTB has offices throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America.