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Sporting Holidays Gain Traction

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So will sun, sea and sand shortly be joined by sport in the holiday brochures that appear during January and February to entice us into booking a summer break? Perhaps sport is not the perfect term, being one that conjures up more serious participation and perhaps competition, but for the sake of literary integration is may be the one that wins over "activities" or something more accurate. "Sun, sea, sand and outdoor pursuits" perhaps sounds a little cumbersome.

Whatever term the travel operators eventually decide on, there is no doubt that sporting components will form a bigger and bigger part of holiday offerings in years to come. We can point to various indicators why this is expected to be the case and numerous resort locations across Europe are already gearing up to attract tourists who are looking for that modern, additional "s" during their breaks.

One of the main reasons why sport is becoming important to more people is the wider awareness that too much sunshine can actually be harmful. Fears of the dangerous effect of UV rays on the skin and the potential ailments caused by dehydration and hyperthermia have made people think twice about spending too long sunbathing in areas where the sun is particularly powerful. That unfortunately means many of Europe's favourite holiday resorts.

Worries over the harmful effects of spending too much time in the sun may be influential, but perhaps a greater influence has been the dramatic growth in sports tourism and the success of the early adopter resorts that have been able to take advantage of it. For many years, resorts in southern Spain have attracted those who enjoy parachuting and sky diving. They came to the region for the perfect weather conditions of warm, dry days with little chance of clouds spoiling the fun. The sport of sailing brought many new visitors to the Greek Islands in the past and those Greek islands that could provide reliable winds in the correct strength and direction became favourite windsurfing locations. Cyclists have known for many years the joys of the quiet, well surfaced roads of Mallorca and have flocked to the island in their thousands before and after the main season, creating almost a micro-market in an area that normally doesn't come to life until May at the earliest.

Sports such as windsurfing and parachuting may not be high up on the list of things to do for your typical family, and cycling up mountains or for long distances are quite specialist too, but more approachable sports like kayaking, tennis, swimming, snorkelling and walking are all examples of offerings that resorts across Europe are trying to add to their tourism portfolio.

The island of Menorca already has a new round-the-island path that can be used by cyclists, horse riders and walkers, giving them unique access to places that had previously been difficult to get to. Ibiza, another island in the Balearics, has also tasked its tourism authorities with taking a stake in the lucrative sports tourism market, than not only brings in more visitors, but also extends the holiday season into the cooler months.

Amateur sporting events like the various running races and triathlons held in the Canaries, as are custom built facilities that allow semi-serious and amateur athletes to enjoy training facilities during the off-season. Places like Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote are some of the more popular winter training destinations for European athletes who can't afford trips to places further afield like Australia.

So the destinations that embrace this trend and manage to secure the investment required to improve their facilities can expect larger volumes of tourists in the years to come.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

Mark, a reporter who has witnessed travel patterns vary over the years, expects sport to become more important and flights to Menorca just like flights to Tenerife, will be favoured by sports men and women more regularly.

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