Introduction
The definition and the academic implications of sports tourism have lately become the centre of attention. (e.g. Hinch, T.D.– Higham, J.E.S. 2001, Turco, D. M. et al, 2002, Bánhidi M. 2007., Bokor J. 2009, Yannakis, O. 2012, Győri F. 2014). Due to the up-to-dateness of the topic it is to become a question of impottance in educational curricula as well. The timeliness of the topic is underlined by the dynamism of spatial and temporary changes in leisure time. which are related to the quality of life as well as to the health, the social, intellectual and emotional conditions of individuals, making up our societies.
The recognition and the appreciation of the beneficial effects of leisure time activities and of values inherent in nature are by-products of urbanization processes. An increasing number of urban population have had to face crucial problems and the diseases of modern civilization, part of which are caused by people’s love of convenience and the lack of exercise. These changes in lifestyle have altered people’s needs, too: an increasing number of city dwellers want to spend their free time actively by doing exercises which offer them positive experiences and good health. By the end of the 20th exercising has been considered as a socially useful and economically significant activity.
From the last few decades of the 20th century travel and sports represented the two most sought-after activities of people in the developed countries. (Dávid L. et al 2006). Both activities stem from the desire to break out of the duties and the monotony of everyday life and, the strenthening of the intention to find new possibilites and dimensions of life. It is espacially true in those situations when sports becomes the target for travel. (Yannakis, O. 2012). Tourist destinations and holiday activities are increasingly chosen with sports events and sporting possibilities in mind.
At the same time it is distressing that the relationship between sports and people in Hungary is different. While Hungary is one of the most successful nations in competitive sports, the three fourths of Hungary’s inhabitants do not do any exercises, they live sedentary life, consequnetly, their health condition is extremely poor. „In Hungary people’s active participation in sports is much lower than in other European countries. When considering the nations of Eastern and Central Europe, Hungary is only in the middle of the list. (1)”. The same trend is detectable when analyzing Hungary’s sports tourism indicators. By a survey of 2005 the motivation of doing sports or another sports-related activity was only the goal of 2 (!) people in a group of 100, while attending a sports event was only 1 (!) in a group of 1,000 travellers.