A spark between sports and tourism

When the president announced the resumption of sports activities in the country, there was both excitement and apprehension. The excitement stemmed from the long drought of not participating or watching our favourite games, and from the ongoing loss of income within the sports industry.

The apprehension, on the other hand, stemmed from the realisation that the set conditions for the resumption of sports come with huge costs. Without fans, for example, there is no income from tickets and merchandise sales, leaving the stakeholders with further strained budgets. The sports industry is no doubt in a dilemma.

If we take a closer look at the tourism sector before COVID-19, approximately 10% of Uganda's total gross domestic product was being earned from tourism.

Importantly still, over 10 million people both Ugandans and foreigners are employed in this sector. As we speak, much of this has changed, international tourism is almost non-existent, and many of these jobs have either been lost or affected in some way.

Tourism therefore is looking at the Ugandan citizens to take a keen interest in their own country's beautiful attractions for its survival.

If you watched the recent appointment of Eddy Kenzo, a top musician, and football lover, as the tourism brand ambassador by Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), and the ongoing theme, ‘ Take on the Pearl of Africa, you can tell that great efforts are being made towards increasing domestic tourism.

However, as exciting as this might be, the domestic market should be a cushion for the tourism industry not just during this pandemic, but for the long haul. The question is, how sustainable is it? When the international tourists return, will Ugandans still be enticed to visit their own country? Who can help provide the connection?

One of the key strategies for recovery in months ahead is sustainable co-existence and partnerships. Parties involved in well-managed partnerships can minimize risks and increase profit margins, and create sustainable value, growth, and positive impact.

From where I sit, sports and tourism are a perfect fit and their courtship should be in high gear. Both sectors depend heavily on people. The sports industry has the advantage of attracting a huge number of people, for example, on a normal day, and depending on the type of football match, the crowd could be between 500 people to thousands of people. Tourism, on the other hand, is looking for such masses with whom they can sell the agenda of domestic tourism. Where is the connection?

People who love sports love travelling and can create great public relations for hosting communities. Whether the event is a city-wide marathon or a small-town football game, sports tourism can have huge effects on a community. Tourism can tap into sporting events to advertise about the available attractions within the hosting community. It is also true that sports fans who enjoy the services in your community may speak highly of their experiences to their friends and family, in turn, increase the chances of other people visiting the area either for business or tourism.

Local sports tourists bring in money to the hosting communities. When someone travels to a different area for a sporting event, they need lodging which brings revenue to local hotels, and food which brings revenue to local restaurants.

There is revenue accrued by sports facilities as tourists purchase tickets to the games. To remember their trip, sports tourists may purchase t-shirts, customized apparel, and other memorabilia, bringing revenue to local designers and apparel producers.

As the economy reopens, it is worth remembering that sports tourism opens up innovation avenues and can act as a catalyst for the development of infrastructure such as stadia, hotels, transportation networks, roads, telecommunication, and other infrastructure. In the end, such developments can help improve the quality of life in different communities and increase touring interests among the locals.

Whereas tourism can align themselves to prominent sports like football whose masses are almost insatiable, it is prudent to align with vulnerable sports groups like women and persons with disabilities. Women, for example, being part of decision-makers for a family vacation, empathising, and connecting with their own has a direct impact on how they view what you are selling to them. Besides, sports offer a vast ally of athletes with both international and local accolades, if managed well they too can be incorporated as brand ambassadors to further drive the agenda within the sports industry.

Whereas my discussion is to ignite a spark, there are many untapped angles for a sustainable co-existence of both sports and tourism that remain unexplored but perhaps engaging experts to formulate data-driven ideas and solutions would provide more answers.

The writer, Mariam Mell'Osiime is a sports activist with a master's in sports management from Real Madrid Graduate School.