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A report by data compilers and global trend spotters Research and Markets reveals sports tourism, already a multibillion-dollar business, to be one of the fastest-growing areas of the US$4.5 trillion global travel industry. The economies of cities, regions and even entire countries are becoming increasingly reliant on the visiting golfer and skier or the travelling football, rugby or cricket supporter, whose direct gift to their destination of choice is cash, but whose indirect benefit can be years of follow-on tourism. The sports tourist is at the heart of strategies that account for tens of millions of dollars spent on attracting an Olympic Games or World Cup. Australia spent A$1.7 billion of government money on the 2000 Olympics, and benefited to the eventual tune of A$4.3 billion, the report adds. Flagship events, such as the inaugural Formula 1 Grand Prix in Shanghai, can help realise new transport systems, improve airports, create jobs and clean up cities. All of this may leave a host of global corporations hungry for marketing rights for 2008. The Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games has admitted that for China as a whole the 'opportunities are vast', with 'exceptionally high levels of recognition and support across the country for those companies that sponsor the Games'.
In from the cold
Nowhere, it seems, is immune to the luxury hotel bug - including the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. Television made its controversial debut there recently, and now comes the Uma Paro resort (uma.como.bz), opened by the Como company, which also has properties in the Caribbean, London and Bangkok. The resort sits on a 15-hectare site at the top of a tree-clad hill near the town of Paro, home of the nation's only airport. The town is flanked by rice paddies, wheat fields, trout-filled streams and scattered settlements, which adds up to a picture of paradise.
It remains to be seen whether the luxury tourism trade will alter that picture irrevocably, but the signs
are good.
Uma Paro features 20 rooms and nine villas fashioned by Bhutanese artisans and Cheong Yew Kwan, architect of the Begawan Giri Estate in Bali. Cheong's respect for indigenous styles accounts for the resort's resemblance to a Bhutanese village. The landscaping is soft, and punctuated by apple orchards, lawns and elevated pathways. Villas are loosely placed at different levels, in glades and clearings planted with azaleas, rhododendrons, camellias and hydrangeas, while the property's main building is the former home of a Bhutanese nobleman. Bhutan's sense of peace is one of its most compelling characteristics, so Uma Paro also incorporates a Como Shambhala Retreat, which is designed for guests seeking better health through yoga and associated treatments. A Jacuzzi, swimming pool, sundeck and gym stand nearby, and a stone bath house in the forest contains a private massage room for couples.
Altogether now
