The Catalan Tourist Board has declared 2020 as the "Year of Sports Tourism" and presented the concept to the media yesterday. Indoor Skydiving 2020 | First Global Summit (ISGS) representatives attended the media event in Barcelona and mingled with the crowd.
The "Year of Sports Tourism" (YoST) is an initiative launched by the Catalan Tourist Board to promote this particular facet of an overall industry that represents 12% of Catalonia's GDP and 14% of its total employment. Appropriate for an Olympic year, sport - in all of its forms and at all levels - is the vehicle of choice to drive tourism through a number of activities and events scheduled between January and December 2020.
The pinnacle of the year - at least in terms of its focus on the theme - is a World Sport Tourism Congress under the auspices of the World Tourism Organization. It takes place in Lloret de Mar on 28 and 29 May.
ISGS, by contrast, belongs to the smaller gatherings under the YoST flag, with an attendance of maximum 200 attendants. Nevertheless, the "boutique" summit was very well represented at yesterday's launch in Barcelona's Olympic Park Montjuic. Skydive Empuriabrava Marketing Director Juli Sargatal, Windoor Management Assistant Marietta Herrera and ISGS Organizer Roland Hilfiker were spreading the word on what the summiteers will try to achieve with their "Tunnel Vision of the Broadest Kind" on 2 and 3 February 2020.
In the select group of YoST Ambassadors is one who should have a pretty good idea. Ricky Rubio, NBA player, World Champion and the MVP at the 2019 FIBA World Basketball Cup in Japan, has spent time in the Windoor tunnel in Empuriabrava already.
