UN Tourism and FIA have jointly launched the UN Tourism Awards for Excellence in Sustainable Sports Tourism, powered by FIA.
The awards have four categories:
Most Sustainable Sport Event
Community Impact in Sports Tourism
Innovation in Sports Tourism Development
Outstanding Public-Private Partnership in Sports Tourism
This launch builds on a strategic partnership between UN Tourism and FIA formed in September 2024, intended to deepen cooperation where tourism, sport, and sustainable mobility intersect.
The awards are open to UN Tourism member countries, FIA member clubs, and other stakeholders in the sports + tourism ecosystem.
Sport tourism is already a large market: in 2023, its value was estimated at USD 609 billion, with a projected growth to USD 2.3 trillion by 2032.
What is Sustainable Sports Tourism? → A form of tourism where sporting events, activities or assets (e.g. stadiums, outdoor adventures) are leveraged to generate economic, social and environmental benefits in a way that minimizes negative impacts and supports local communities. It matters because it links tourism growth with community wellbeing, climate priorities, and infrastructure planning.
This Awards framework can inspire countries (including India) to align sports, tourism, and mobility policies with sustainability goals. India’s sports tourism potential (e.g. motorsports circuits, eco-sport events, adventure sport destinations) could leverage this mechanism to set benchmarks in community inclusion, green infrastructure, and public-private collaboration.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders:
How can India’s ministries and state governments use this awards mechanism to catalyze sustainable sports tourism projects in India - especially in smaller towns and hilly regions?
Follow the full news here: FIA unwto.org
