THE fastest growing sector in the global travel and tourism industry will be showcased when Johannesburg holds the inaugural World Sport Destination Expo at the Sandton Convention Centre during FIFA World Cup™ 2010.
World Sport Destination Expo (WSDE), which takes place from July 5-9, is the world’s first exhibition and conference dedicated to showcasing the $600 billion a year sport tourism industry.
15,000 visitors are expected to attend the landmark five-day exhibition and conference programme as the sport tourism industry congregates in Johannesburg ahead of the final match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.
Key buyers will include the sport tour operators responsible for bringing an anticipated 250,000 sport tourists and considerable investment to South Africa for the FIFA World Cup™.
“With the increasing profitability of mega sporting events, the exponential growth of participation vacations and the continued sportification of society, sport tourism is set to play a catalytic role in sparking global tourism recovery with many experts predicting that the next 10 years will be “the decade of sport tourism”,” says Sion Rapson of World Legacy Ltd who are also organising World Football House where WSDE will take place.
A hive of activity during the FIFA World Cup, World Football House at the Sandton Convention Centre will also host 32 national country pavilions, TV studios, public viewing areas and a number of associated lifestyle events including the World Fashion Month VIP lounge, the Nelson Mandela “Legacy” Gala Dinner, Africa Fashion Week, Africa Fashion Awards and World Travel Awards.
“While some traditional tourism trends are in decline, World Sport Destination Expo comes at a time when sport tourism continues to flourish and is set to grow exponentially in the next decade, contributing an astonishing 14% of overall travel and tourism receipts in the year ahead,” adds Sion Rapson.
Included in the WSDE programme is the inaugural International Sport Tourism Conference (to be held on 5th July), a ground-breaking conference which will feature a prestigious line-up of leading experts and decision makers in sporting events and sport tourism.
“The conference is in association with Sport Business, recognised as the market leader in sport tourism strategies and the launch of this flagship event is demonstration of the importance to which the industry is viewing WSDE,” says Sion Rapson.
Fully endorsed by the leading authorities in sport and travel, WSDE will present a momentous first opportunity for the key figures of the sport tourism industry to come together to source new contacts and markets, gain top level insights, to showcase their brand capabilities on a world stage and most importantly to conduct lucrative future business deals for 2011 and beyond.
Testament to WSDE’s global importance, World Sport Destination Expo has secured confirmation from the leading buyers of sport tourism products from every key geographical region in the world.
World Sport Destination Expo attendance is strictly by VIP invitation and only qualified industry buyers, sporting bodies and leading suppliers will be permitted to attend the business to business days on 5-7 July 2010. Invitation on 8-9 July 2010 will be extended to the wider sport tourism industry and pre-selected AB consumers.
In another unprecedented move, WSDE has direct engagement with approx. 10,500 international media through its partnership with the International Sport Press Association (AIPS) and other key media partners.
“Participation in World Sport Destination Expo is critical to those companies involved in the sport tourism market-place, and those serious in assuming a market share of the industry’s fastest growing and most dynamic sector,” adds Sion Rapson.
