Sports as a youth tourism motivator in Malta? : a study on water sports activities

Abstract

At the present time, the travel and tourism sector is rapidly expanding than all other sectors. For those who can afford, travel is surprisingly becoming a high priority. People travel for several reasons, but with regards to youth, who form a major part of worldwide travelers, tend to travel for leisure. Sport, which is also considered as leisure, is one of the reasons why people go abroad. Sports are generally known for keeping people physically fit and healthy. Moreover, many psychological benefits are included. Sports relieve the stresses of everyday life and help individuals to identify themselves with a group. There are also those who do not participate in sports, but support it. These people love sports for its atmosphere. Especially during Summer, water sports activities are in demand worldwide. The main aim of this research is to identify the significance of water sports tourism in the Maltese context and to discover whether these activities are a motivating factor for youth to travel to Malta. To achieve this, several questionnaires were distributed to young people at the Malta International Airport. After analyzing the data, one should be able to understand that most of the youth found in the Maltese islands are interested in beach and water sports and looking forward to a larger choice of activities. These findings suggest several recommendations. More water sports activities should be created or expanded, additional money should be invested in better facilities. Existing activities should be marketed better especially by means of social media. Having an entertaining atmosphere can also help in achieving the tourists’ demands.