At a time when some traditional tourist destinations are suffering from the effects of recession, sports tourism is set to continue to grow*. This demonstrates the increasingly important part sport plays in the economic development of some of the world’s cities, regions and countries.
Given its importance, however, it is an area which has not received the attention it deserves from analysts and advisors. Cities have been content to see sports tourists and sports event hosting as “a good thing” without necessarily being clear what benefits actually accrue and the true value of them.
In fact the very terms sports tourism and sports events cover such a broad spectrum of activities that clarity of thinking and usable data has been hard to obtain.
Now, for the first time, SportBusiness is publishing a report that will fill this important gap. Sports Tourism: Strategies for Successful Development is your guide to the sector demonstrating just how sport can play a part in your development plans.
Shining a light on the true value of major sports events
Bidding to host sports events has become a competitive business with many cities, regions and countries vying to attract major games. Whilst the Olympics and FIFA World Cup grab the headlines for the vast majority of destinations these events will never figure.
For most, gaining increased visitor numbers from hosting a federation championship or stage of a touring sports property is the appropriate aim and can deliver impressive visitor numbers. The difficulty comes in trying to assess the value of such activities when set against the costs. Economic impact expressed as a total number of visitors and how much they spend fails to capture the multiplier effects of money in the local economy, the value of place branding or the benefit of a more active population.
This assessment also fails to recognise the negative impact of regular tourists staying away, the often temporary nature of jobs created or the cost of legacy promises failing to deliver. Sports Tourism: Strategies for Successful Development puts some reliable analysis against these issues to enable you to formulate a successful sports tourism development strategy.
Spectators or participants?
While big events will attract large numbers of spectators, mass participation events can have a sizeable economic effect. And, in the longer term, creating a tourism package that includes sport among a range of attractions may well deliver more sustained benefits.
Sports Tourism: Strategies for Successful Development identifies the different groups that make up the sector, whateach is worth and how best to attract them. It provides analysis of different sports spectator and participant profiles, and examines differences between source markets, nationalversus international and short- versus long-haul visitors.
Sports tourism has been a driver of real estate investment as a number of destinations have attempted to establish themselves as winter training, golf, water sports or other specialist destinations. We examine which types of development add the most value and explore the economics underlying second home destinations around sports facilities.
Over ten information filled chapters Sports Tourism: Strategies for Successful Development will give you essentialinformation and strategy development models including:
- Creating a sports tourism offer
- Sports tourism destination marketing
- Valuing sports events and the visitors they bring
- Identifying which visitors and events to target
- Ensuring sports tourism complements existing attractions
- The role and value of infrastructure investment
- Sustainable sports tourism
“I found it gave me exactly what I needed- an overview of all the areas of sports tourism. It was great for inspiring new ideas and developments”
Mogens Kirkeby, Secretary General, Danish Association for International Sport and Culture, On The Business ofSports Tourism 2004.
* UNWTO
