With the Government setting an ambitious target of over 4.5 million tourist arrivals by 2020, Sri Lanka Tourism has been looking at opportunities to boost the country’s appeal, one of which is the burgeoning market of Sports Tourism. In this regard, Sri Lanka Tourism has partnered with Pro-Am Serendib (Pvt) Ltd to host the world’s top multi-sport event brand IRONMAN in the country.
The event is expected to directly benefit Sri Lanka’s economy by as much as US$ 4 million, while driving economic activities through increased employment and activities of local industries.
According to the World Tourism Organization, Sports Tourism is one of the fastest-growing sub-sectors in the travel industry, valued at US$ 600 billion. Sporting events have the potential to draw large crowds of spectators from around the world, resulting in an inflow of foreign income for the hosting country, while also giving the host the opportunity to entice these visitors with its additional offerings.
As such, IRONMAN 70.3 Colombo has the capacity to transform Sri Lanka into Asia’s foremost sports tourism destination, as hosting such an event will allow Sri Lanka to differentiate itself from other Asian destinations. At the same time, its rugged natural environment gives it the potential to become the adventure capital of Asia, paving the way for similar events by creating content for Sports Tourism marketing, capacity for event infrastructure, competency in terms of event management and international marketing, and confidence with user and stakeholder endorsements and strategic associations.
The IRONMAN 70.3, which is a qualifying round for triathletes to participate in the IRONMAN World Championship 2018 in South Africa, will take place in Colombo on 25 February 2018 with a
1.9 km sea swim, a 90km bike ride and a 21.2km run to be completed by athletes within an 8.5-hour period.
The event aims to contribute to Sri Lanka’s tourism revenue in 2018 and beyond with an international product for the ‘affluent traveller’ market. It can have a significant effect on city hotels and urban lifestyle businesses in Colombo during 2018/19 by drawing in over 2,000 affluent tourists for five days, estimated to occupy 1,000 rooms per night. It will also draw tourism to several parts of the country, estimated to engage roughly 5,000 rooms per night.
“We are excited about this as we expand our portfolio of races, especially in South Asia, where the number of IRONMAN athletes is growing every year,” said IRONMAN Asia Managing Director Geoff Meyer. “We have been looking for the right partner to start our first event in South Asia and we are excited to work with Pro-Am Serendib (Pvt) Ltd to organize a great race in Colombo.”
The IRONMAN Triathlon is the top user-based sports brand in the world, according to the Global Triathlon Website, with a history that spans 37 years and over 260 events across 44 countries. However, none have been held in the South Asian region; making Sri Lanka the first in the region to host this event in 2018.
So far, over 470 athletes have registered, with 1,200 family and friends confirmed from 53 countries to attend the event. A minimum of 300 liaison officers and 100 officials from Sri Lanka will be trained to officiate, receiving training from experts while gaining international exposure within the country itself. This will build local capability and capacity to host international sporting events in Sri Lanka.
The event will also include a four-day expo with cultural activities that will be a part of the event to enhance the Sri Lanka brand. This expo will showcase Sri Lankan handicrafts, gems, jewellery, handloom products, spices and tea. It will also have the capacity to promote environmentally sustainable tourism, as IRONMAN events are environmentally-friendly and leave little or no carbon footprint.
Pro-Am Serendib stated that it was hopeful that IRONMAN 70.3 Colombo would become an annual event, putting Sri Lanka on the global triathlon map. The company hopes to hold a number of activities to promote the sport of triathlon in Sri Lanka, to eventually achieve at least 20% local representation at the event. The organizers claimed that the recent marathon, swimming and cycling events held on a smaller scale had revealed the market was ripe for an event of this magnitude. The goal is to make Sri Lanka the destination of choice for IRONMAN events in Asia, overtaking the Philippines, which is currently the leading destination in Asia for IRONMAN events.
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