Esports as a new trend in the tourism industry

Tourists participating in the so-called sports tourism mostly benefit from general tourist infrastructure – accommodation, food services, transport, tourist information, sports and leisure facilities available to all tourists – regardless of the motivation underlying their stay. Thanks to global sports events a new form of sports-related tourism has been established, which has its maximum representation in major events such as the Olympic Games and the World or European Championships. Esports is undoubtedly one of the most rapidly developing industries in today’s world, both in terms of business and as sports. This article sets out to present forms and current trends in sports tourism. Subsequently, it focuses on esports and provides basic information about this form of leisure, indicates similarities between cybersport and traditional sport, and offers examples of electronic sports events, including the top event in the city of Katowice, which appears to be the Polish capital of esports. In addition, the article offers an insight into how the cybersports industry reacted to SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic. Furthermore, the authors analyse legal aspects of electronic sports in Poland and other countries and, finally, present and discuss the results of survey research pertaining to the impact of esports on tourism.
Geography and Tourism, Tom 1 Nr 9 (2021): Geography and Tourism