Sports tourism – a source of millions of dollars in revenue for the local economy

The above data is stated in Brand Finance’s Marathon 50 report, published in mid-2025. The figure of 5.2 billion USD shows the growing role of sporting events in the tourism industry. Many destinations around the world are taking advantage of large-scale sporting events such as marathons and triathlons to activate tourism and local economies.

Not only do they attract athletes, these events often attract large numbers of tourists, fans and runners’ families. This group of visitors often stays for many days (usually 2-3 days), visits destinations and uses local services, thereby creating a source of spending on hotels, restaurants, transportation and entertainment activities.

Running races also help promote the destination’s image through media and social networks. Images of runners running through symbols of cities, beaches or heritage areas are spread, contributing to raising the awareness of local tourism.

Sports become a “launching pad” for tourism

According to Brand Finance, the most effective marathon in the world is the Chicago Marathon. In 2024, the prize brings in 627 million USD. Meanwhile, data from Bank of America and World Business Chicago determined the figure was about 683 million USD. The event also supports more than 4,500 full-time jobs and generates approximately $229 million in labor income for the city.

A large portion of economic value comes from tourism spending. According to event marketing statistics, tourism spending related to the Chicago Marathon alone reached more than 177 million USD, mainly from accommodation, dining and shopping of athletes and tourists. This event is aiming for the $1 billion milestone in a few years.

However, the attraction of such events lies not only in economic factors but also in destination experience. For many runners, participating in a marathon also means a journey to explore the host city.

In Chicago, the route passes through many symbols of the city such as Grant Park, the Loop downtown or the shores of Lake Michigan. Before and after race day, many runners often spend time walking along the lake, visiting museums and enjoying the city’s typical cuisine.

Similarly, the New York Marathon takes runners through all five boroughs of the city, from the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge to Central Park. The experience of running through crowded neighborhoods with millions of cheering spectators has turned this tournament into a “foot tour”, where runners can feel the typical rhythm of New York life.

In Asia, many tourist cities also take advantage of marathons to attract international tourists. Bangkok organizes the Amazing Thailand Marathon with tens of thousands of runners, while promoting culture, cuisine and attractions. Singapore Marathon or Tokyo Marathon has also become an annual event to help increase the number of visitors and enhance the city’s image on the international tourism map.

According to experts, such events bring many benefits to the locality. The first is direct revenue from tourists. Next is the opportunity to promote the destination image through media. Along with this, the event promotes the development of tourism services, from hotels to transportation and experiential activities.

Coastal roads, through forests or through historical buildings create a different experience for athletes, helping the event become a typical local tourism product.

Exploiting potential in Vietnam

The trend of combining tourism and sports has also appeared in Vietnam in recent years, as the sports movement has developed. Many localities have begun to organize marathons, aquathlons… associated with unique landscapes to attract domestic and foreign runners.

For example, VnExpress Marathon chooses vibrant tourist cities across the country as destinations. Present since 2019, VnExpress Marathon has organized about 40 tournaments in locations such as Hue, Quy Nhon, Nha Trang, Da Nang, Ha Long, Can Tho… In each race, the organizers always design routes going through famous landscapes. For example, runners in Hue run across Truong Tien Bridge, the Citadel, and the Perfume River; in Quy Nhon via Xuan Dieu beach, Thi Nai bridge; Da Nang takes runners across Dragon Bridge, Tran Thi Ly Bridge, My Khe Beach…

In each locality, VnExpress Marathon contributes a large amount of revenue to tourism. For example, VnExpress Marathon Hue 2025 contributes VND 221 billion to revenue. Of which, there were 41,600 guests, room occupancy reached 90%.

The local tourism industry also sees running events as an opportunity to develop destination image. To exploit the potential of this tourist pool, localities have issued many policies to waive and reduce entrance fees to famous landmarks and launch new tourism products. For many years, Hue or Quy Nhon have always encouraged people, accommodation and culinary establishments to have promotional programs to serve the runner community during their stay in the locality.

Tourism experts say that such races help expand the local tourist base. Besides the traditional group of tourists, the runner community becomes a new group with the ability to spend and return to the destination many times.

In the near future, VnExpress Marathon continues to expand its system when launching VnExpress Marathon Green Paradise Can Gio. The prize is expected to become an attractive tourism product of Can Gio – a world biosphere reserve recognized by UNESCO.

The tournament will be held on May 1, with an expected scale of about 5,000-8,000 athletes. Unlike events in big cities, the tournament’s route is designed as an “eco-tour”, taking runners through mangrove forests and coastal landscapes. This experience is considered rare as Vietnam is experiencing a high rate of urbanization, while most of the race’s tracks take runners through natural areas.

During the days of the tournament, Can Gio also plans to organize many festive activities for runners to have more experience. At the same time, families can combine jogging and explore local cuisine, visit monkey island, Dan Xay eco-tourism area, Vam Sat…

Currently, Can Gio is oriented to become an eco-tourism and coastal urban center of Ho Chi Minh City. Therefore, outdoor sports events such as VnExpress Marathon are expected to help increase the attraction of the destination, promote the image of Can Gio to domestic and foreign tourists, and create additional revenue for local people.

In the coming time, this place will welcome super infrastructure such as the Ben Thanh – Can Gio high-speed railway, Can Gio bridge or the sea crossing connecting Can Gio – Vung Tau. Here, Vinhomes Green Paradise is located as a new tourism-economic center in the south of Ho Chi Minh City. The project has many projects such as Paradise Lagoon with more than 800 hectares, Landmark with 108 floors, Blue Wave Theater with 7 hectares, VinWonders Can Gio with 122 hectares… The megacity is expected to welcome 40 million visitors per year, contributing to solving the tourism problem for Ho Chi Minh City.