Sports Tourism

Sports tourism is one of the most growing forms of tourism worldwide as according to international organizations 25% of travelers choose to do sports on their holidays. Through this specific format, international bookings are estimated to reach 220 million and have a 12-month duration.

It is about the special form of tourism that, especially in the Greek space-time, has a long history since ancient times as the Olympic Games, the most historic and leading sporting event, were “born” here.

The activities that the traveler-visitor can choose are closely related to the activities of free time and recreation through which he comes into contact with the whole spectrum of the natural environment.

Sports tourism is associated with all stages of active and passive participation in sports events. Participation may be random or organized and may be for business or other purposes. It is divided into the following categories:

• Sports Event Tourism , which includes both the tourists who travel to watch, as spectators, sports matches by combining their holidays with the sports events, as well as the teams of athletes, individual athletes, expeditions, technicians and journalists, who travel to participate in sporting events and extend their stay at the venue of the sporting event.
• Sports Recreation – Adventure Tourism , which refers to the tourist who, as part of his vacation, also aims to improve his health, fitness and well-being, or who visits an unusual, inaccessible, isolated or exotic place to carry out recreational activities as as follows: ( programs of outdoor sports activities which are distinguished in mild ones such as hiking, horse riding, running, recreational archery, sailing and in intense activities such as descent with an inflatable boat (rafting), water skiing, mountain biking, scuba diving, climbing, windsurfing, surfing and extreme sports such as bungee jumping, cliff diving, free fall.