Department of Sport Science, Tourism & Leisure

Mike Weed

Olympic Tourism: Olympic Tourism: Understanding Flows & Understanding Flows &

Developing StrategiesDeveloping Strategies

Olympic Tourism

“Tourism behaviour motivated or

generated by Olympic-related activities”(Weed, 2008)

� May comprise:

• Tourism with Sports Content

• Sports Participation Tourism

• Sports Training

• Sports Event Tourism

• Luxury Sports Tourism

• Generic Tourism

…in the

PRE-,

DURING &

POST-

Games periods

“Leveraging”

“Unlike impact assessments, the study of leverage has a strategic and tactical focusstrategic and tactical focus. The

objective is to identify strategies and tactics that can be implemented prior to and during an event

in order to generate particular outcomes. Consequently, leveraging implies a much more

propro--active approachactive approach to capitalising on capitalising on opportunitiesopportunities, rather than impacts research

which simply measures outcomes.”

(Chalip, 2004)

Leveraging &

Olympic Tourism Flows

“Undoubtedly, there is a clear link between behaviours, impacts,

policy and management in sports tourism, and it is…leveraging [that acts as a] ‘bridging concept’. A

leveraging approach assumes that policies and management

strategies can be put in place derived from an understanding of behaviours to maximise positive

impacts”(Weed, 2008)

Olympic Tourism Flows

� May have positive, negative or neutral effects

� Level of analysis (e.g., city, region, country) can

change effect of flows

“Tourism behaviour motivated or

generated by Olympic-related activities”(Weed, 2008)

NEIGHBOURING

COUNTRIES

HOST

COUNTRY

HOST CITY

OR REGION

Olympic Tourism Flows

REST OF

THE WORLD

Olympic Tourism Flows

NEIGHBOURING

COUNTRIES

HOST

COUNTRY

HOST CITY

OR REGION

REST OF

THE WORLD

NEIGHBOURING

COUNTRIES

HOST

COUNTRY

HOST CITY

OR REGION

REST OF

THE WORLD

NEIGHBOURING

COUNTRIES

HOST

COUNTRY

HOST CITY

OR REGION

REST OF

THE WORLD

PrePre--GamesGames

PostPost--GamesGames

DuringDuring--GamesGames

Olympic Tourism Flows

� May have positive, negative or neutral effects

� Level of analysis (e.g., city, region, country) can

change effect of flows

� Understanding flows is crucial to effective Leveraging

strategies

� Minimising negative flows can be as important as

maximising positive flows.

Olympic Tourism Flows

NEIGHBOURING

COUNTRIES

HOST

COUNTRY

HOST CITY

OR REGION

REST OF

THE WORLD

NEIGHBOURING

COUNTRIES

HOST

COUNTRY

HOST CITY

OR REGION

REST OF

THE WORLD

NEIGHBOURING

COUNTRIES

HOST

COUNTRY

HOST CITY

OR REGION

REST OF

THE WORLD

PrePre--GamesGames

PostPost--GamesGames

DuringDuring--GamesGames

Tourism Flows in London

During the Games

H ost C ity/

R eg io n

‘R u n aw ay s’ ‘C h an ge rs’

‘C a su a ls’

‘Time sw itc h e rs’

‘A v oide rs’

‘E x te n sion e rs’

‘E v e n t v isitors’

‘Home sta y e rs’

Res id en ts w ho leav e the city

and tak e a ho lid ay ou t o f th e

regi on

Res id en ts w ho leav e th e city/ regi on and

tak e their ho lid a ys at the t im e o f the ev en t

ra ther than at s om e o ther t im e in the year

T ou ris ts w ho w ou ld

hav e v is ited th e

city/ re gio n ev en w ithou t

the ev en t

T ou ris ts w ho w an ted to

t rav el to the city/ re gio n

bu t at ano ther t im e

Tou ris ts w ho s tay aw ay bu t

w ou ld hav e com e w ithou t

the ev en tT ou ris ts w ho w ou ld hav e com e

anyw ay bu t s tay longer b ec au s e o f

the ev en t

P ers ons w ho trav el to

the hos t city becau s e o f

the ev en t

Res id en ts w ho op t to s tay

in the city and s pend their

m oney a t hom e rather

than on a v acation ou t o f

th e regio n at s om e o ther

t im e in the year

‘ C an ce l le rs’

Tou ris ts that

to ta lly can cell ed

their t rip

‘P re / Post Sw itc h e rs’

Tou ris ts that w ill com e

later o r cam e ear lie r

( a )( a ) ( b )( b )

Res id en ts w ho w ou ld hav e

been in the city/ r eg ion

w ithou t the ev en t

‘R e side n ts’

SOURCE: Weed (2008) - adapted from Preuss (2005)

Host City/Region

‘Runaways’

‘Changers’

‘Casuals’

‘Avoiders’‘Extentioners’

‘Event

visitors’

‘Home

stayers’

‘Residents’Host City/Region

(b)

‘Post-event

General Tourists’

‘Time

switchers’

‘Post-

Avoiders‘Post-event

Sports

Tourists’

‘Time

switchers’

Host City/Region

‘Pre-event

General Tourists’

‘Pre-Avoiders’

Pre-event

Sports Tourists(a)

‘Cancellers’‘Pre-Switchers’

‘Post-

Switchers’

‘Changers’

Pre-event period Event period Post-event period

(b)(b)

Tourism Flows in London

Before and After the Games

SOURCE: Weed (2007) - adapted from Preuss (2005)

Business Tourism

� Opportunities in the regions 2010-2012

• Effective leveraging may extend this period

� Potential Boost for London 2013+

• Similar leveraging process to that for generic tourism

• Potential to develop relationships through the Games

Generic Tourism

�Leveraging largely focuses on media…

Media Exposure / Impact:

Background

� Media coverage is claimed to enhance the

tourism image of a destination resulting in

long-term positive effects of tourism on the

economy

� Need to get a destination into “consideration

set” of potential tourists

� Olympic Games – research showed that

Calgary Winter Olympics media coverage:

“enhanced the saliency and attractiveness of enhanced the saliency and attractiveness of

Calgary as a destinationCalgary as a destination” (Ritchie, 1990)

Media Exposure / Impact: Issues

� Many events contain little coverage of host city

� City-related messages/images rarely targeted

� Broadcasters use of city related messages/images is often haphazard

� Iconographic images and place names most effective

� Iconographic experiences are very difficult to portray

� Urban backdrops can often be indistinct

Cultural Olympiad: I

1. Events to attract tourism

2. Tourism events to engage local residents

� Three key levels across 2008-2012• Mandatory Ceremonial

� Extraordinary live spectacles for stadium audiences, and international television events, watched by an estimated 1 in 3 people globally. They pull the world’s focus towards London and setting the tone for the competition, in a festival of celebration.

• Bid Projects and Signature Events� Forming part of the IOC contract with London, working with key

partners to deliver. Also a series of world standard cultural events representing our invitation to the world to join in the celebrations.

• UK Cultural Festival� Adding value to the myriad cultural events which will take place across

the UK over a four-year period

Cultural Olympiad: II� Cultural Olympiad key part of community engagement in the regions

� Can offset economic issues:

5,9001,6139253,362London

1,9366221,067248UK

Overall

(2005-

2016)

Post-

event

(2013-

2016)

During

event

(2012)

Pre-

event

(2005-

2011)

(change

in GDP,

£million)

Department of Sport Science, Tourism & Leisure

Olympic Tourism: Olympic Tourism: Understanding Flows & Understanding Flows &

Developing StrategiesDeveloping Strategies

mike.weed@canterbury.ac.uk