LONDON – The DeHaan Institute at Nottingham University will construct a new ‘knowledge portal’ for tourism and mega-events in cooperation with the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).
The portal will be a resource for anyone in the travel and tourism sector connected to mega-events. It will aim to identify good practice and challenges, as well as focusing on the long-term shift to green values and norms.
Chair of the Institute’s advisory board, Prof. Geoffrey Lipman, presented a report by the DeHaan Institute at Nottingham University and is sponsored by VISA on the need to strengthen links between mega-events, sports and tourism.
Lipman says: “There is a growing recognition of the strong intersects between tourism and mega-events, particularly sporting events like the Olympic Games and the World Cup. It is also clear that there are important economic, social and environmental impacts – both good and bad.”
According to the report the scale, scope and impact of mega-events has increased markedly in recent years, especially for sports-related events such as the World Cup.
Although these huge events motivate local development and provide opportunities for new revenue streams, branding, innovation and enterprise, with them come major costs and environmental impact.
The bidding process itself can be time-consuming and expensive, with consequences lasting for years.
The report goes on to say the impact on local tourism is more difficult to quantify and predict.
