The Sport Tourism Impacts of the London 2012 Olympics - Case Study Example

The Sport tourism impacts of the London Olympics and Paralympics Games Introduction Out of the five contenders that bid for hosting the Olympics games, 2012; London was hailed as the winner of the bid. The candidates that got defeated by London in this stiff competition were Paris, New York, Madrid and Moscow. London has six years time to prove its competence in successfully hosting this sporting event of utmost importance. The host city has to work in collaboration with the Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games (OCOG) and their National Olympic Committee. London is brimming with joy at the moment for being voted as the center of such a mega event. Polley has rightly observed in Smith and Porter (2004, p. 24) that "globalisation has helped to create a setting in which English national identity has more sporting opportunities in which to express itself than at any previous point in history. The Olympics survived the Second World War, and have become consolidated as the premier multi-sport event in the world, with their winter version also increasing in popularity." The Olympics and Paralympics 2012 have brought to the doorsteps of UK a tourism opportunity of great magnitude. In the process of welcoming the world in 2012, UK gets a chance of escalating the growth of its economy. As observed by Jowell, "between 50% and 75% of the economic benefits of the Games will accrue to tourism." Long-term sport tourism development issues According to a report prepared by the International Council for Local Environment Initiatives (ICLEI) for the Commission on Sustainable Development, the UN Commission has set some principles for development issues in tourism. "These principles can provide basis for effective partnerships for sustainable tourism planning and development in local tourist destinations. (1999, p.10) The authorities responsible for the sport tourism development issues in London should consult these principles to achieve their goals. They should pay attention to the development issues like trying to solve all problems before, during and after the development projects' implementation and evaluation phase. In addition to this they should try to focus their attention on issues like limits of developments, what needs to be paid attention to immediately and what can wait for some time. The ecological problems should also be paid attention to. In all this tourism development measures, the local people should not feel cut off. They should be made an integral part of the development procedures. Their problems like drainage, sewerage, infrastructure requirements etc. should be paid attention to because until and unless the problems of local people are solved; it is impossible to create a good atmosphere for tourists. If the available resources are not sufficient for the local people then how can the huge number of tourists be accommodated comfortably All the local bodies, even those belonging to the grassroots level should be encouraged to participate actively in the sport tourism development issues on the eve of the 2012 games. Apart from the above mentioned issues it should be clear that the development should not be at the cost of degradation of environment and local culture. Environment and culture are the wealth that will attract more and more tourists to the host destination. Impacts and implications for hosting the London 2012 Games There will be a favourable growth of GDP in London when the 2012 games are held but this implies that the rest of UK will not benefit as all the resources and attention will be directed towards the host city. London will have a favourable impact in not only GDP but in other areas too. Unfortunately the implications of the positive impact upon London will be that, the rest of the areas of UK will experience a negative impact. For example all the investments in infrastructure, social work, beautification and creation of new jobs would be restricted to London and as a result the rest of the UK will remain untouched of the benefits. In this context a review commissioned by South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) has observed " a way of bringing Olympic related social impacts to people, communities and regeneration areas within the nations and regions is needed so that high expectations are not badly disappointed."(2006, p.7) Developments in Olympics bidding process Though the actual challenge has begun now. London has worked hard to reach the position in which it is today. According to Advantage West Midlands "London's victory in the IOC vote is a deserved tribute to all those who have worked tirelessly on the bid." With the growing importance of the Olympics, thanks to the media the bidding process is not as simple as it used to be a few years back. The competition is very stiff. All the competing teams have to prove its worth in a number of parameters before being selected to compete. Though only five destinations were fighting the actual battle; the bidding process had started with many more contenders. There have been many developments in the Olympics bidding process. The parameters of qualifying have become stringent over the years. Also the people behind the bidding process have incorporated a more professional approach because there are certain examples in the past that point towards unprofessional practises in the biding process of the Olympic games. Though London is a sophisticated and highly developed place, in the past much smaller and less competent places have won the bid. As a result it will be 64 years since London played the host of the Olympics despite being competent in all areas. There is competition even in the domestic front. After London won the bid, the domestic bidding has started for different services related to the 2012 games like construction and services, transportation, preparation camps, creation of new jobs, volunteering opportunities etc. Implications for various stakeholders involved in the delivery of the games According to LondonNet, the key stakeholders of the 2012 Games are The British Olympic Association, the Mayor of London and the UK government. They along with other stakeholders are ecstatic after London won the bid and are supporting all the development and transformation activities related to 2012 Games. All the stakeholders are respected people or organizations of UK and are genuinely interested in the betterment of the country. They are viewing the Olympics as not only a matter of pride for their country but also a vehicle of ushering in constructive growth measures. Even though these stakeholders had always been at the realm of all the development affairs, the enthusiasm and value for the invested money was never as high as on the eve of this mega event. All this leads to the implications that now the stakeholders can be at peace that all their efforts and investments would really pay rich dividends in all aspects. Maximization of Opportunities by all interested stakeholders According to Kiley, the commissioner of Transport for London, which happens to be one of the stakeholders, "modern, reliable, safe and cost-effective transport for the Games will be in place well before 2012 and we will ensure that athletes, the Olympic family and spectators alike will get to every venue, on time every day of the Games"(quoted in ePolitix.com) Another stakeholder; Prince's Trust's chief executive, Milburn has observed that " this is a fantastic chance for young people to get more involved in their communities and to take pride in their country. We know first-hand how sports can inspire young people to reach their potential. The London 2012 Olympics will provide new opportunities for our young people to learn vital skills and access new jobs." (Quoted in ePolitix.com) Similarly other stakeholders are keeping no stone unturned to ensure the maximization of opportunities in other areas like improvement of sport facilities, improved physical appearances and image of the area of east London. Impacts Of Olympics 2012 in general and specifically in tourism Highlighting the impacts of the Olympics 2012 the Association of the London Government has stated "the London Olympics Games and Paralympic Games of 2012 will have a huge impact on our communities, creating jobs, improving London's transport infrastructure and giving a huge boost to tourism and related sectors. The Games will also bring world class sporting venues, provide thousands of volunteering opportunities, a four year culture festival and enhance London's global reputation." Tourism in particular is bound to bounce to great heights because with all the preparations being made London would really be a joy to be in. In these six years the favourable media reports relating to the development of this place are for sure going to build up a good ground for tourism. Due to this mega event London is going to be in news for a very long time. It is quiet natural for people to plan their vacations to a place they are hearing about so frequently. Therefore much before the historical year, tourists would start flocking to the capital of UK, in particular and other parts of the country as well. Needless to say there will be a flood of tourists from far and near during the mega sports event. If everything goes by successfully and if the quality of facilities in UK is spruced up then London will be a hot destination for leisure and vacations post Olympics too. In this context Williams and Buswell has rightly observed "customers judge whether or not they were satisfied with a service both during the delivery process and after they have experienced the service. These subjective judgments influence the decision on whether to repeat the experience with the same provider." (2003, p.37) People from all over the world would be visiting so there will be an excellent opportunity for all to know about different countries and their cultures, heritage etc. Not only this social problems like low income and unemployment would be solved to a great extent. There may be some negative impacts of the Olympics too. People of the host country are encouraged to mingle with the tourists and propagate the goodness of their culture and values. In doing so may be some people would not be able to conserve their traditional values. There are chances of misunderstanding and distrust too. It may happen that some of the nature's products that are in abundance in the tourist's homeland are scarce in the host country. But tourists might not understand this and indulge in wastage of scarce resources. In order to build new buildings, some of the people might be asked to leave their lands and settle in land provided in return which may be painful. May be some of the greenery will also get spoiled. Archer et.al in Theobald has argued, "Although difficult to measure, there is a relationship between tourism density and the growth of local resentment toward tourism. The flow of tourists into a region increases the densities at which people live and overcrowds the facilities that tourists share with the local population. Overcrowding reduces the value of the holiday experience and creates additional strain for the resident population. In extreme cases local people may be debarred from enjoying the natural facilities of their own country or region." (2005, p.90) Lastly since all the development activities will be focused to London, it will experience better living conditions, employment opportunities and creation of new homes than other parts of UK. Legacies of mega events The long-term legacy in hosting mega events is to build an interest of the people in the field to which the event is related. This will happen in this case too. The legacy of this event would be to build an atmosphere of enthusiasm and excitement towards sports. Sports have always been a bridge between people across communities. It inculcates a sense of discipline and fulfilment in the youth. They also get an opportunity to earn while pursuing a career that is personally gratifying. The Olympics should try to carry forward this legacy in order mould the path of the youth in a more purposeful way. London has got a golden opportunity to carry forward the legacy of Olympics and it should allow no fingers to be raised in the management of the event from the very start to the grand finale. Impact of 2012 Games on grassroots sport and sport development in UK The regeneration work is being done in all the spheres. There are plans to make England a top sporting nation. Grassroots sports community are being encouraged to volunteer in the 2012 Games activities. This way they will get a chance to work with elite sports community and learn a number of things from them. If both the sports community work hand in hand then the next generation athletes will benefit from their combined training and experiences, which will help in sport development of UK. The elite sports community are at the centre stage of all the activities that are taking place. Proper conduct on their part can do wonders for the sport development activities in UK. They should try to minimise the gap between themselves and the grassroots sports community by involving them in the conservation of the sport heritage of the country. Special training camps are also going to contribute to sport development at grassroots level as well as the sport community in totality. It should be always remembered that there is a direct link between the growths of sport development activities in the host community and the mega event that is being hosted. The goal of organizers of mega sporting events should not only be to successfully host the event but also, in the words of Conn in the magazine World soccer, "to encourage more people to play the game for the joy and fitness it brings. To insist clubs be community institutions, not voracious corporations, to ensure the financial bonanza are shared more equally." (September 2005, p.72) Conclusion Both sports and tourism are broad areas. Bringing together both of them is a tedious but beneficial effort. London has got a tremendous opportunity to boost its tourism and take it to soaring heights on the occasion of this most spectacular sport event. There are bound to be many issues but the challenge is to successfully tackle them. London should try to capitalize on the positive impacts and minimize the occurrence of negative impacts. The aim should be to reap benefits in all aspects. At the end of the roller coaster ride that spans to six years the result of efforts in sport tourism should be to get maximum satisfaction as far as key contemporary issues such as impacts related to economic benefits/costs; socio-cultural development; sustainable regeneration, etc. are concerned. Word Count: 2415 ' References ' a) ARCHER, BRIAN et al., 2005. The positive and negative impacts of tourism. In: W.F.THEOBALD, ed. Global Tourism. 3rd ed. USA. Elsevier, 90. b) POLLEY, ARCHER., 2004. Sport and national identity in England. In: SMITH, ADRIAN., PORTER, DILWYN., Sport And National Identity In The Post-War World. London. Routledge, 24. c) WILLIAMS, CHRISTINE., BUSWELL, JOHN., Service Quality in Leisure and Tourism. Trowbridge. CABI Publishing. d) CONN, D., 2005. Burns treatment. World Soccer, 45 (13), 72. e) DEPARMENT OF CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT, 2005.Welcome Legacy: The Tourism 2012 Strategy Consultation London: dcms, (PP 922 5000). f) Association of London Government. 2003, viewed 11 August 2006, < http://www.The London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.htm > g) ePolitix.com. 2005, viewed 11 August 2006, < http://www.epolitix.com/EN/ForumBriefs/2000507/06 > h) LondonNet. 2000, viewed 11 August 2006, < http://www.londonnet.co.uk/In/guide/about/olympics2012_stakeholders.html.> i) South East of England Development Agency. 2006, viewed 10 August 2006, < http://www.seeda.co.uk/Publicationd/Strategy/docs/OlympicImpact.pdf.> j) The International Council for Local Environment Initiatives (ICLEI) 1999, viewed 10 August, 2006, Read More