The global esports industry is seeing rapid growth. During the COVID-19 pandemic, lockdowns stopped most sports events, giving an opportunity to put the spotlight on esports. Globally, the number of esport viewers is predicted to reach 640.8 million by 2025. Esport enthusiasts (watching content at least on a monthly basis) will account for roughly half of the market and have an annual growth rate of 8.1% over the period 2020-2025. Revenues will grow 13.4% over the same period to reach $1.86 billion in 2025.

Some research has even identified that Generation Z (16-24 years old) seem to prefer esports to traditional sports, with just under half (44%) viewing gameplay livestreams. Destinations have realised the potential of this sector and are considering how best to tap into this emerging market segment and the opportunities that it provides. For example, Europe and North Carolina are actively targeting esports events and are making investments into this sector.

Will this fast growth in esports continue, or gradually be phased-out as people take up more active and healthy lifestyles?

With China implementing limits to gaming time for under 18s, can esports continue to be an attractive prospect in its largest market?

How can destinations stand-out in an increasingly competitive market for attracting e-sports events?

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France National Esports Strategy

The French government announced a new national esports strategy, which aims to create a national esports ecosystem. This strategy was developed by the Ministry of Sports and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Digital Transition and Telecommunications. The French government will collaborate with the French Esports Association and game developers to position the country as a leading esports destination and raise awareness about the industry.

The ambition is to help develop amateur esports within the country, but significantly will also improve France's ability to host international esports competitions. The push towards esports has started to show actual results, with Paris awarded the inaugural Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Major in May 2023, with 2 further events scheduled for 2023 and 2024.

A key part of the French government's approach is the creation of a specialised esports visa to enable international participants to compete more easily in France. This follows the development of a similar visa scheme in Germany in 2020. As a result, the current bureaucratic barriers that disrupt the preparation of international esports teams competing in official leagues will be eliminated. It also showcases the attractiveness and openness of destinations for hosting large events to the main esports event organisers.

France also aims to leverage its hosting of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris by holding an Olympic Esports Week as a parallel side-event. This provides an excellent opportunity to highlight esports on the international stage and France's infrastructural capabilities to hold high-profile events. Such an approach of attempting to incorporate esports in major multi-sport competitions was also utilised during Birmingham's hosting of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

How can governments be more agile and enact policies that quickly react to new trends and support emerging sectors?

Will the Olympics be a launch pad for the further development of esports, or will it be drowned out by the grandeur and pageantry of such a large festival of sports? How effective are side-events at changing people's views and reaching new audiences?

How can destinations stand out and be more creative and innovative when presenting their case for being a strong esports destination?

Which niche activities will launch into the mainstream next? How can destinations better collaborate with local industry to understand their needs and unblock potential pitfalls?

Is creating new visa types for niche markets the correct approach for countries to take? Or will this instead cause additional confusion and backlogs among visa processing staff?