Tourism
The role of major sports events in raising the profile of cities and countries, and bringing visitors to an area is recognised and cultivated as part of most event plans and evaluations.
Tourism represents a significant industry sector. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism contributed $60.8 billion to Australia’s national GDP and provided jobs for more than 5% of the national workforce (666,000 people). Tourism also brought $39.1 billion in exports and was the fourth largest exporting industry. 7
The 2021 Tourism Research Australia State of the Industry report, opens in a new tab, shows the dramatic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on international visitor spending (down from $31.4 billion to $1.4 billion in 2021), while also focussing on the hope for future recovery. 8
Sports tourism is a niche market which can be broadly described as tourism generated by participation (as a spectator, competitor, official, journalist, etc.) in sporting activity outside your home community. 9 That activity can be a single event (e.g., the Melbourne marathon), a series of competitions/activities (e.g., a touring team, interstate, or international series), or a training camp.
Although we do not know the exact size or specific economic value of sports tourism, the role of sports events in raising the profile of cities and countries, as well as bringing visitors to an area is recognised and cultivated as part of most major event plans and evaluations. 4, 13, 15
Resources and reading
- New study assesses active sports tourism facilities across 50 countries, opens in a new tab, Vicky Karantzavelou, Travel Daily News, (24 Feb 2022). Sports tourism represents around 10% of the global expenditure on tourism and is set to be worth close to 7 billion euros by 2023. Active sports tourism particularly, in which holiday-makers participate in rather than spectate sports, is expected to see an increased consumer interest post covid, due to the attraction of a more health-conscious lifestyle. Gymcatch has evaluated the sports tourism facilities of the world’s top 50 holiday destinations, to find the countries with the most potential to become the global ‘sports tourism’ market leaders. Considering facilities and value for money, Australia came top of the study, and scored particularly well for hikers, water-sports enthusiasts and yogis.
- Play for all: Invictus Games Sydney 2018, opens in a new tab, Nicola Alcorn, Deloitte, (8 February 2019). Invictus Games Sydney 2018 welcomed 491 competitors and over 1000 of their family and friends from 18 participating nations for 8 days of competition. The celebration of strength and recovery inspired many, and amassed 1000 avid volunteers for the event. The events were held in Sydney Harbour and at Sydney Olympic Park, enabling community participation and driving community spirit through play.
- It is estimated that competitors, family and friends, volunteers, and the general public spent approximately $5.4 million during their stay in NSW and 94% of this expenditure was in Sydney. The total organising, planning and tourism contribution of the Games is estimated at $29.7 million in value added and supported 211 FTE employees in the NSW economy.
- Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games by numbers, opens in a new tab, Minister for Innovation and Tourism Industry Development and Minister for the Commonwealth Games, The Honourable Kate Jones, Queensland Government media release, (1 May 2018). Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has today revealed the extent of positive exposure for Queensland generated by the Games that she says will drive more visitors to the Sunshine State over the next decade An estimated 1.5 billion viewers were expected to see aspects of the Games beamed live from their home broadcasters. Digital and social media coverage was also significant. During the Games, the GC2018 website attracted around 113 million page views, of which 68 million were unique, while the various social media channels (Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and Instagram) had around 733,600 followers and more than 108.3 million impressions.
- Commonwealth Games to put the Gold Coast on the global tourism map, opens in a new tab, Tourism and Transport Forum media release, (3 April 2018). The poll, commissioned by the Tourism and Transport Forum Australia (TTF), found that Australians believe the biggest long-term benefit of the Games will be the promotion of the Gold Coast on the global stage (40 per cent), beating out improved infrastructure and services (22 per cent) and additional jobs and economic growth (14 per cent). The survey also found that when asked whether the 2018 Commonwealth Games will help promote Australia to the world, 71 per cent said yes, 11 per cent said no and 18 per cent were not sure.
- GC2018 Legacy: Beyond the Games report 2024, opens in a new tab, Ernst and Young (EY), (2024). In June 2023, the Department of Tourism and Sport (DTS) engaged the services of EY to prepare the final Post Games Legacy Report (this Report) to assess the benefits against key objectives listed in the associated Monitoring and Evaluation Framework. This evaluation framework was collaboratively developed by the Queensland State Government and City of Gold Coast and other partners. This Report also provides an analysis of lessons learnt and potential considerations for Brisbane 2032 Olympics and Paralympics Games legacy planning. Highlights relating to tourism include:
- GC2018 showcased Gold Coast and Queensland as a tourism destination and promoted inclusive tourism. While tourism increased in the lead up and during GC2018, the impacts of COVID-19 and the consideration of whether benefits are attributable to GC2018 has impacted on this success factor.
- State of the Industry 2021, opens in a new tab, Tourism Research Australia, Austrade, (2022). The State of the Industry 2021 report is a record of the personal and commercial disruption caused by COVID-19. However, this report also demonstrates the resilience and persistence of the industry, the support offered by government programs, the rapid return of domestic visitors following lockdowns, and the positive international border announcements towards the end of the year, all of which point to a brighter future for the industry.
- State of the Industry 2018-2019, opens in a new tab, Austrade, (March 2020). Tourism represents a significant industry sector. The most current available tourism industry overview, (prior to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic), indicates that tourism contributed $60.8 billion to national GDP and provided jobs for more than 5% of the national workforce (666,000 people). Tourism also brought $39.1 billion in exports and was the fourth largest exporting industry. While the report does not have much information specific to the sport sector, it does indicate that there had been an increase in sports and recreation business between June 2013 to June 2018 of 1,913 (p.8).
- Commonwealth Games Value Framework: Final report, opens in a new tab, Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) for the Commonwealth Games Federation, (December 2019). A new report evaluating the benefits and costs of hosting the Commonwealth Games, which is the largest and most detailed analysis of the event in history, has revealed that staging the competition has consistently provided an economic boost of over £1 billion for previous host cities along with an array of positive social and environmental benefits. Some of the key trade, investment and tourism benefits identified from hosting the Games were that it:
- ‘Showcased’ the host city’s culture worldwide with a TV audience of 1-1.5 billion.
- Led to increases in tourism of up to 25% in the three years after hosting, as well as trade deals agreements and investments of up to £400 million into the host city.
- Post-Games Sustainability Report, opens in a new tab, Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation, (August 2018). GC2018 was a transformational event for the Gold Coast, our event cities and communities throughout Queensland. It created new opportunities, built capacity and shaped an enduring legacy that will last beyond the Closing Ceremony. It is estimated that GC2018 had a cumulative viewing audience of 1.5 billion worldwide, reaching 16 million individuals in Australia alone. The GC2018 website had 113 million hits, while our social media channels had over 1.5 million followers, eclipsing previous Commonwealth Games records. There were more than 1.2 million spectators in the competition venues and over 1.1 million people experienced the Festival 2018 program held across Queensland. Delivering a GC2018 to international sustainable event management standards supported our Games Delivery Partner’s shared vision for a strong and diversified economy, a pristine natural environment and an active, inclusive Gold Coast community. Some key tourism and international relations impact and legacy outcomes included:
- 680,000 people spending $1.1 billion in the local economy. Estimates GC2018 will deliver $4 billion in economic activity for Queensland.
- GC2018 further enhanced Queensland's global reputation as a world-class event host, with a tourism legacy already under way. Tourism Events Queensland (TEQ) hosted 110 international and domestic media and athletes during GC2018 from markets including the United Kingdom, New Zealand, South East Asia and Australia. These engagements showcased Queensland's memorable visitor experiences to an audience of millions.
- Events: Drivers of Regional Tourism, opens in a new tab, Tourism Research Australia/Austrade, (August 2014). Tourism Research Australia’s National Visitor Survey shows that over half of all domestic day and overnight trips in 2013 were to regional destinations (58%), where visitors spent $34 billion. Attending a sport event as a spectator was one of the most popular event types. While, regarding travelling to attend sport competitions (participate/compete) the report highlights that they "have a strong niche appeal and ability to drive trips further from home, but are best promoted through special interest groups."
- A study of event brand image, destination image, event, and destination loyalty among international sport tourists, opens in a new tab, Bang An, Rei Yamashita, European Sport Management Quarterly, (9 September 2022). The data of the study were collected from international participants (N = 441) of 36th Reykjavik Marathon in 2019. The results indicate that three attributes (i.e. course, organization, and atmosphere) and two benefits (i.e. achievement and escape) were positively associated with participants’ event attitude. Event attitude was directly positively associated with event loyalty, destination image, and destination loyalty. Finally, destination image mediated the relationships between event attitude and event loyalty, and between event attitude and destination loyalty.
- Promoting active sports tourism through technology and evaluating its economic impact: experiences from Cyprus, opens in a new tab, Achilleas Achilleos, Michalis Makrominas, Christos Markides, et al., Journal of Sport and Tourism, Volume 25(4), pp.297-315, (2021). While the economic impact of major passive sport events is well documented, the contribution of active sports events is scarcely examined. This reflective practice paper contributes towards bridging the gap by examining, in a case study, the economic impact of one of the first big active sport events in Cyprus, organised using the state-of-the-art technology. The paper presents the first commercial web platform and recommender system dedicated to active sports events, which provide all necessary services to customers and thus simplify, and ultimately increase participation in the event. We find strong evidence in support of the idea that active sport events have a strong positive impact on the local and countrywide economy, while the technology can contribute and enable further promotion and better organisation of such events.
- Challenges facing immediate tourism leveraging: evidence from the London 2012 Olympic Games, opens in a new tab, Rami Mhanna, Adam Blake, Ian Jones, Managing Sport and Leisure, Volume 22(2), pp.147-165, (2017). Models of event leveraging identify strategies that organisers can use to increase the benefits that sport events bring to host destinations. To date, little work has been conducted on leveraging immediate tourism benefits from mega sport events. In addressing this issue, we reflect and present findings related to previously identified event leveraging theories that are determined by tourists’ activities at a host destination. These are (a) enticing visitor spending and (b) lengthening visitor stay. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the use of such leveraging strategies during the London 2012 Olympic Games to increase event-related tourism. Results from 15 interviews with key stakeholders demonstrate that the effectiveness of these leveraging strategies can be limited by a number of challenges: (1) limited strategies to entice visitor spending (2) limited interest in tourism attractions (3) lack of location attractiveness (4) the displacement effect and (5) the impact of the wider economic environment. Key challenges and opportunities are detailed, a discussion on the implications for event leveraging is provided and potential areas for future research are outlined.
- Winter Olympic Games, cities, and tourism: a systematic literature review in this domain, opens in a new tab, Marilyne Gaudette, Romain Roult, Sylvain Lefebvre, Journal of Sport and Tourism, Volume 21(4), pp.287-313, (2017). Although research shows that the Games represent an opportunity for the development of the tourism industry, the scoping review showed mixed results in terms of tourist flows and the enhancement of the city’s image. The concluding remarks identify the limitations of this study and offer opportunities and areas of research regarding the next Winter Games.
- Mega-events and place branding legacy for emerging economies, opens in a new tab, Brendon Knott, Kamilla Swart, Chapter 9 in Legacies and Mega Events, opens in a new tab, Routledge, (2017). Countries and cities are increasingly looking to sport mega-events to change or enhance their international reputation or brand image. While few would argue with the global attention these events command, assessing a definitive legacy for the place brand of the host is a more complex exercise. Similar to other legacy criticisms, questions remain around the longevity of perceived branding gains. This chapter details a number of different studies conducted to assess aspects of the place brand legacy from the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The chapter discusses the branding opportunities that resulted from the event, the role of stakeholders in sustaining these branding gains, and the opportunities that exist for place branding legacy beyond sport mega-events, particularly for emerging place brands. Fact: Mega-events provide significant branding opportunities for cities and nations, especially within developing economies. Fairy tale: A positive branding legacy is an expected outcome from hosting a mega-event, without intentional, sustained leveraging efforts of brand stakeholders.
- Understanding Cycle Tourism Experiences at the Tour Down Under, opens in a new tab, Richard Shipway, Katherine King, Insun Sunny Lee, et al., Journal of Sport and Tourism, Volume 20(1), pp.21-39, (2016). Sport tourism experiences are subjective and emotional, laden with symbolic meaning. This study explores the experiences of participants who adopted the multiple roles of both an active participant and event spectator, within the parameters of one chosen sporting event. A professional cycling race event, the Tour Down Under in South Australia was chosen for this investigation, and 20 face-to-face individual interviews were conducted with cycle tourists.
- What should you pay to host a party? An economic analysis of hosting sports mega-events, opens in a new tab, Heather Mitchell, Mark Fergusson Stewart, Applied Economics, Volume 47(15), pp.1550-1561, (2015). Governments all over the world put huge amounts of money into bidding for, and then hosting, sports events like Football’s World Cup or the Olympic Games. They also give money to professional sports teams and other mega-events to encourage them to locate within a particular constituency. This article examines the statistical relationship between tourism and three Football World Cups and five Olympic Games, finding very little positive effect. Given this conclusion, the article looks at why governments continue to bid for these competitions. It presents evidence that shows that these sports contests make people happy, and argues that politicians capitalise on this feel-good factor; harnessing the hubris associated with these events for political gain. The article then contends that the best way to reduce the politics associated with bidding for mega-events is to allocate them via an auction, rather than the wasteful rent-seeking methods that are currently used.
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