Sports tourism promotes social, economic, and environmental activities, accelerates development, and leaves a lasting legacy. This paper explains how sports tourism originated, its forms, and the development of trends in sports tourism. In addition, emphasis is placed on the importance of tourist promotion for sports events. Trends in tourism, trends in sustainable development, and the state of the World Rally Championship and the Republic of Croatia were analyzed. By analyzing the World Rally Championship and its impact on Croatia, this paper highlights the strategic approach and importance of organizing and promoting sports events for the further development of sports tourism. To support the found impacts of the rally on tourist destinations in Croatia, interviews were conducted with stakeholders from the tourist community and stakeholders involved in organizing the World Rally Championship in Croatia. The interviews also showcased the achievements and challenges faced by the organizers, as well as the opportunities for the further development of sports tourism in Croatia. It has been proven that sports tourism has great significance for society, as well as economic and environmental impacts on tourist destinations.