When people line up in Tokyo just to run a marathon, jostle each other in Abu Dhabi to watch F1 racing, or spend their entire fortune to go to Augusta to watch Tiger Woods play golf, they can see the attraction from the balls, shots, goals... now not only on the pitch, the racetrack but also spreading to the economy, culture and society.
Sports tourism, an aspect of the sports economy, has great potential. With a global market share of 10% (BSP 500 billion) and forecast to reach £2,250 billion by 2033, this cannot be just a playground for Europe or the Middle East. Vietnam cannot stay outside that game, if it wants sports to escape the situation of always having to ask the question of "first" and traveling is not forever winding around simple tours.
For example, an event like the match between Vietnam and Thailand is not only limited to the venue but also turned it into a "destination event". The audience not only comes to watch football, but also participate in local food festivals, bicycle tours around West Lake, listen to and watch artists perform. That's how Las Vegas does boxing, F1, Super Bowl and brings in tens of billions of dollars a year.
Barcelona spent more than £6.5 million to organize the first leg of Tour de France 2026, because they understand very well: After the 1992 Olympics, the city not only had Sagrada family, but also had an infrastructure, brand and a wave of explosive tourism for 30 years. Vietnam can completely learn from this model - making sports an accelerator for national tourism.
Vietnam has unique cuisine, wonderful nature, friendly people, but to retain tourists for longer, there need to be different reasons. The most difficult thing is the thinking of making an event. It must be a combined game of many industries, many organizations, many businesses...
We need to boldly invite international events, but sadly, we have rejected such opportunities. Sports tourism is a golden dream, but it will never come true if you don't dare to grow up. We must dare to ask the question: Why can't tourists come to Vietnam to watch sports? When there is an answer to that, we will truly run with the world.
