Sports Tourism
Tourism and sports are interrelated and complementary. Sports – as a professional, amateur or leisure activity – involves a considerable amount of traveling to play and compete in different destinations and countries. Sports tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors in tourism. Sports events can be a catalyst for tourism development if successfully leveraged in terms of destination branding, infrastructure development and other economic benefits. There are several classifications of sport tourism:
- Participation at competitive sport events
- Participation in recreational sports
- Sports events tourism (spectators)
- Sports team or individual off-season or preseason training
Bosnia & Herzegovina is emerging as one of the top destination for team or individual off-season and preseason training for its infrastructure. More and more sports and national teams are selecting locations in Bosnia & Herzegovina for preparation and conditioning. Most recently, the U-17 basketball national team of Egypt was hosted on mountain Vlašić and basketball players and coaching staff were delighted with the conditions that this sports center offers to them, from sports hall that are located at the highest altitude in B&H to other facilities (gym, indoor pool, food, etc.). Jahorina mountain and the municipality of Pale frequently host sports teams for training at 1,500 and 850 meters elevation (high-oxygen training). These venues are typically frequented in the summer due to their climate.
And in the winter, Herzegovina is often chosen for training purposes due to its mild winter climate. Specifically, Medjugorje provides sports teams and individuals great infrastructure for winter training.