Favoring sports tourism, Vietnamese tourists spend money to go to Korea to run marathons

According to the United Nations Tourism Organization (UN Tourism), formerly the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), sports tourism is a form of tourism that involves, actively or passively, participating in or observing a competitive sporting event held at a specific location.

UN Tourism assesses that this is one of the fastest growing types of tourism, with global revenue estimated at around 800 billion USD. Sports tourism products are defined as: tickets to watch or directly participate in sports tournaments, accompanied by travel services, hotels, cuisine, etc.

Among the sports that Vietnamese tourists are willing to spend money to travel internationally to experience such as: mountain climbing, cycling, swimming, yoga... running is the sport that attracts the most tourists to participate. Many running competitions have been established and are maintained and organized by countries every year.

Seoul Marathon, the oldest running race in Asia, attracts a steady stream of tourists from around the world to participate and cheer every year. This year, Seoul Marathon took place on March 16, with the participation of more than 40,000 domestic and international runners. Athletes will compete in two distances: 10km and 42km.

For many runners, coming to the capital of Korea and conquering the Seoul Marathon is a burning dream. Many Vietnamese tourists have spent a large amount of money (about 19 million VND) to register for this race.

According to Flamingo Redtours General Director Nguyen Cong Hoan, in order to meet the demand for participating in international sports tourism activities, the company recently led about 43 Vietnamese tourists to Seoul to participate in the Seoul Marathon.

A group of Vietnamese tourists departed from Hanoi to Seoul (Korea) to participate in a running and tourism event.

“In recent years, the marathon and half-marathon movement in Vietnam has grown rapidly, with an average of one race per week. For those who are passionate about this sport, running is not only about improving health but also about experiencing and conquering new routes both domestically and internationally. This trend is increasing rapidly as the number of Vietnamese runners participating in international marathons such as Seoul Marathon, Boston Marathon, Gold Coast Marathon, etc. is increasing," said Mr. Nguyen Cong Hoan.

In the first quarter of 2025 alone, the number of runners registering for running tours at this unit increased by 25-30% compared to the same period in previous years. In addition to incentives for early registration, the Korea Tourism Organization also offers support policies to help international runners travel smoothly.

"In the past, runners often chose to travel independently in small groups, but now the number of people registering through travel companies is higher. Because tourists only need to focus on training and preparing mentally to participate in the race without having to worry about eating, staying, and sightseeing," added Flamingo Redtours General Director Nguyen Cong Hoan.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/chuong-du-lich-the-thao-khach-viet-chi-tien-sang-han-quoc-de-chay-marathon-post865745.html