Sports and events tourism is moving beyond general event attendance into highly specialised communities. For example, ZX-Tour focuses exclusively on running travel, while Shenzhen Tiegan Sports concentrates on overseas football match-viewing. Just as we are seeing across the tourism industry as whole, experience is also becoming increasingly important. Travellers are not only buying access to a race or match, they want a full experience around it, including atmosphere, community, culture and memories. Lu Yiming, Founder of Shenzhen Tiegan Sports Co., Ltd., describes overseas football trips as a “football pilgrimage worth remembering for a lifetime”, with experiences such as club visits, training base access, lower-division matches, youth academy visits and friendly matches with local supporters.
Technology holds potential in this sector, but adoption remains in the early stages. Du Mingrui, General Manager, ZX-Tour, says they currently use AI to gather practical information such as local travel details, weather data and event background. Looking ahead, he sees strong potential in route previews, emphasising that if runners can use technology to understand and adapt to race routes in advance, “it will significantly improve their experience, making it more comfortable and safer.”
体育赛事旅游：从现场观赛到难忘回忆
体育赛事旅游正在从传统观赛，逐渐走向更加垂直与细分的兴趣市场。北京知行合逸国际旅行社专注于跑步主题旅行，深圳铁杆体育则长期深耕海外足球观赛服务。和整个旅游行业正在发生的变化类似，越来越多游客开始关注“体验”本身，而不只是赛事门票或比赛结果。如今，游客购买的，不再只是一次观赛资格，而是围绕赛事展开的完整体验，包括现场氛围、球迷文化、社群互动，以及旅行过程中留下的真实记忆。铁杆体育创始人陆一鸣将海外足球观赛形容为“一场值得回味一生的足球朝圣之旅”。除了观看比赛，行程还会延伸至俱乐部参观、训练基地探访、低级别联赛、青训体验，以及与当地球迷进行友谊赛等更深入的足球文化体验。
科技同样正在为体育赛事旅游带来新的可能，但目前整体应用仍处于早期阶段。北京知行合逸国际旅行社总经理杜明睿表示，目前AI更多被用于收集目的地交通、天气、赛事背景等实用信息。未来，他更看好赛事路线预览等应用场景。如果跑者能够提前通过技术了解并适应比赛路线，“将明显提升整体体验，让行程更加舒适，也更加安全。”
