PwC predicts recovery for sports industry – A PriceWaterhouseCoopers report has said the global sports industry will rise in value from $114 billion this year to $133 billion by 2013, an annual growth rate of 3.8 per cent. The World Cup and Olympics clearly having an impact and additional benefits being felt by the support industries such as hospitality, sports marketing, sponsorship and travel… The United Nations World Tourism Organization’s secretary-general Taleb Rifai this week insisted sporting events such as FIFA World Cup 2010 and the London Olympics 2012 can act as catalysts to revive the ailing global travel and tourism industry. The inaugural World Sport Destination Expo takes place July 5-9, 2010,  in Johannesburg, South Africa. Sion Rapson, Global Business Director, explained: “The sports tourism industry is a US$600 billion-a-year market and it has become obvious to all involved that there is a need for people within that industry to be able to meet in a business-centric environment to discuss the best way forward.”

Sporting events are becoming evermore important for Countries and Regions to trigger tourism and stimulate localised enterprise and entrepreneurship – this is evident in Oman with their Oman Sailing program and the move by Vietnam to host the World Match Racing Tour.