The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Sport Tourism

Dear Colleagues,

The impact of COVID-19 on all the sectors of the international sport industry, including sport tourism, has been dramatic (Parnell et al., 2020; Ratten, 2020). It is estimated that more than USD 60 billion of revenue in the global sport industry will be finally lost as a result of COVID-19 (Gough, 2020). Sport tourism has been particularly hit by COVID19. Most of the local, national and international events have been cancelled or are taking place with a different distribution mode (e.g., without fans, with limited number of participants etc.). Outdoor activities and programs have also been cancelled due to travel restrictions. However, since some forms of sport tourism activities, such as outdoor recreation, are alternatives to mass tourism, they are predicted to grow in the future. Alternative business models, based on digitalization and personalization, are also proposed to be developed in the future, as a strategy to cope with the changing business environment and the changing consumer expectations. This Special Issue invites empirical and conceptual papers, which discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the sport tourism industry. Indicative topics include:

• Digitalization of sport tourism services;
• Alternative business models in sport tourism;
• Marketing sport tourism after COVID-19;
• Branding sport tourism after COVID-19;
• New sport tourists’ expectations;
• Technology and sport tourists’ experience;
• New sport tourism service quality models;
• Employees’ skills and training requirements after COVID-19;
• Sport tourism and sustainability after COVID-19.

References

Parnell, D., Widdop, P., Bond, A., & Wilson, R. (2020). COVID-19, networks and sport. Managing Sport and Leisure, 1-7.

Ratten, V. (2020). Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and sport entrepreneurship. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, 26 (6), 379-388.

Prof. Kostas Alexandris
Dr. Olga Polyakova
Guest Editors

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• sport tourism
• COVID-19
• impact