The conference, held this past May in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia, explored the issues associated with the development, management and legacies of sport tourism. Participants shared their best practices in planning and management, as well as in the bidding process, sourcing of private sponsorship and in post-event management.

Role of Corporate Sponsorship in Sport Tourism: An Experience of QI

Mr. Kuna, invited by the Commonwealth Tourism Centre, discussed QI Ltd developing Sport Tourism through its various sponsorships and related activities. Mr. Kuna introduced QI as a dynamic multinational conglomerate which has integrated sport sponsorship as a mainstream marketing activity. He emphasised the company's adopted strategy to focus on the creation of world-class champions, with a special attention to the Malaysian market, home of its operational headquarters.

The panel included Ministers of Tourism and Sports from Commonwealth countries, Senior Government Officials, event managers, airlines and transport service providers, travel and tour agents, investors and renowned academicians.

Dato' Sri Azalina Dato' Othman Said, Minister of Tourism, Malaysia, announced the imminent creation of a specific Entity for Sport Tourism, to coincide with the Ministries of Sport and Tourism.

The initiative stresses the major importance for states to stimulate the various stakeholders in both the Sport and Tourism circles via structural interventions (encouraging policies, investment in infrastructures, capacity building, etc.) in order to cooperate and implement successful joint strategies.

The same idea was developed by Ambassador Dho Young Shim, special advisor to the UN WTO Secretary-General for Tourism and Sport. She stressed the major importance of continuing the Commonwealth initiative by organising more gatherings and fruitful debates among countries surrounding this topic.