The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Catalan Tourist Board (Agència Catalana de Turisme) are organizing the World Sports Tourism Congress which will take place from 25-26 November 2021, in Lloret de Mar, Catalonia, Spain.

Sports tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors in tourism. More and more tourists are interested in sport activities during their trips whether sports are the main objective of travel or not. Sport events of various kinds and sizes attract tourists as participants or spectators and destinations try to add local flavors to them to distinguish themselves and provide authentic local experiences. Sports events can be a catalyst for tourism development if successfully leveraged in terms of destination branding, infrastructure development and other economic and social benefits.

Within the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, this congress seeks to explore the relationship between sports tourism and sustainable and inclusive development and how sports tourism can serve as a tool for tourism dispersal, differentiation and deseasonalization. In line with this, the congress will challenge all participants to further explore these topics and discuss innovation and current and future trends in the sector, as well as successful governance and private sector strategies.

The Congress aims at influencing and inspiring the future development of sports tourism by focusing, among the others, on the following main topics:

• Sports Tourism and its contribution to Sustainable Development Agenda 2030
• Innovation in the development of Sports Tourism: Stadiums, Olympic Games and Mass Outdoor sports
• Successful destination governance and public-private strategies in Sports Tourism
• Sports technologies, eSports and Digital Transformation of Sports Tourism

Please visit the offical webpage of the Congress to access all the information on the Programme, Registration process, and other relevant aspects.

If you have any doubt do not hesitate to contact us at am@unwto.org