Mega-Events and Hallmark Event - Coursework Example

Name Instructor Course Date Mega-events and Hallmark event Tourism is among the most valued activities around the world due to the high income associated with it. Tourists visiting different countries have various reasons such as a leisure activity, cultural interests and also education reasons. Indeed, it helps to boost the country’s GDP, strengthen the currency, creates job opportunities, and encourages development. Also, tourists spend much cash in the country they visit, therefore boosting the amount of money flow and capital collected by the government. The government then uses the finances generated to create jobs for its citizens and in various local developments. Tourists who visit certain places for cultural purposes encourages the natives to be proud and more preservative in developing their cultures. Therefore, many countries around the world have encouraged tourism through advertisements, organizing events, and giving attractive offers. As such, Mega-events and Hallmark events held all over the world have been found to be a significant boost for the tourism industry. Indeed, Mega-events and Hallmark events are common to most people around the world. The two terms are commonly used interchangeably by most people because they have a close meaning. Majority countries preserve these events from one generation to the other. One group passes to the next one and are meant to serve certain purposes. In fact, the Mega-events are not annual events. However, they follow a particular pattern on when to held next. Examples of such events are the soccer world cup and the Olympics games. The events take four years for them to be held again. Primarily, the purpose of the events is to promote unity among diverse communities in the world and also to grow talents of different people. These events take place in various continents around the world. Individuals who are talented in different fields are encouraged to participate in the events (Grix, Jonathan, and Houlihan 580). Certainly, the winning candidates are awarded medals and some cash as a show of appreciation and recognition. Further, Mega-events have various characteristics that make them unique from other events. Firstly, these events are transient meaning they are not sustainable. That is they only take place for a short period. Indeed, they have a fixed time plan where the participants have to follow the set time plan when working. These events are often in a form of competition where the participants compete among themselves in their continents, and the winners represent their country in the world competition. Secondly, the events are usually of great economic and cultural importance. The high number of participants and fans attending a Mega-event brings along various economic benefits such as employment and demand for products produced locally. Therefore, promoting the economic status of the host country Finally, the mega-events haves the local, national and international value. For example, unity is one of the factors that is appreciated by most countries. Therefore, mega events are organized to unite people from different regions. The hallmark events comprise of expositions, fairs and sporting events held regularly. The core importance of these events is meant to secure high prominence for the community in the tourism market. Such events include Japanese Matsuri festivals. It is intended to showcase different cultural practices that are common to the Japanese people. The cultural practices are usually unique, and people from various places visit the place to learn and experience how the events happen. Some of the characteristics of the Hallmark events are that they are held regularly at a specific location, historical beliefs accompany them, and associated with a certain society (Getz and Donald, 53). Also, some of the hallmark events have deep historical and cultural roots. Some have been carried on for over a hundred years. Therefore, they are meant to be a remainder of the event or activity that happened some time back. Indeed, Hallmark and mega events have been a major contributor to the tourism industry. The events have been found to attract tourist from different parts of the world. Further, scholars value them since they have been found to be a source of a historical background. As such, scholars visit the country as tourists to experience live events as they used to happen in the ancient years. Additionally, they market the country since most people follow the activities online. People who never attended the function will want to learn more about the place hence playing a significant role in attracting the tourist (Mowforth, Martin, and Ian 5). Undoubtedly, attract different lovers of sport or activity and also individuals who might be curious about how the events happen. Mega events, Brazilian FIFA 2014 World Cup case study The 2014 Brazilian World Cup is regarded as the best World Cup to have ever taken place to date. The event attracted a total of one million foreign tourists during the one month-long period; this number exceeded the predicted figure of 600,000 visitors. In comparison, the South African World Cup that received 310,000 tourists and the German 2006 World Cup, which hosted a total of two million tourists (Malhado, Acácia and Rainer 263). Also, the events provided Brazil with an opportunity to market itself during the tough economic times experienced by the country during the World Cup period. Indeed, 95% of the visitors from outside countries who were present at the football event said they had intentions of revisiting the country. The Brazilian government invested massively in the project regarding infrastructure and stadia; this also included ports and airports that were involved in hosting the World Cup. The estimated figure of the money spent by the new stadia on the entire project amounted to the US $11.7 billion, from this figure, US $4 billion. The rest of the money was devoted to other projects such as sustainability programs, security, marketing, and media. In fact, all these projects led to the creation of jobs. Reliable reports indicate that a total estimated amount of money spent by visiting tourists to be 6.7 billion Brazilian Real in the month of the sporting event. However, in preparation for the World Cup, the Brazilian government created a partnership between the Ministries of Tourism and that of Education. The aim was to give employees skills needed to provide competent and high-quality services to local and visiting tourists so as to strengthen the country’s image. As such this was aimed to provide a perfect image that portrayed the country as an ideal destination for tourist. Indeed, a range of training activities relating to the expected incoming visitors took place including courses in Spanish, English and even Braille. Excellent hospitality is critical in providing sustainable development for any community in regards to creating job opportunities. Tourism provides employment for one in every eleven people, and this number continues to grow. Indeed, Brazill government enrolled over 166,000 citizens in the program. Also, more people played the role of tour agents, taxi drivers, fire department officers, civil and military police and city police. However, though the Brazilian World Cup provided a great opportunity for the country to market its rich tourist attraction scenes, as well as providing a venue for the football games, the event encountered various negative sides. In reality, the World Cup had no immediate economic impact despite the legacy created. The investments in the urban infrastructure, airports, and transport alone did not reach 0.5% of the gross domestic product. Therefore, main benefits could only be expected in the long term period. Hallmark event, Japanese Matsuri festivals. The Matsuri festivals of Tokyo, also known as Kanda Matsuri are among the three top largest festivals in Japan. In fact, it began in the 17th century, with an aim to celebrate the battle victory Tokugawa Ieyasu in the Sekigahara battle, the festivals. Indeed, the event displays prosperity of Tokugawa during the Edo period (Okubo, Kenji, Cornelis and Wim 1129). The major festivals are carried out based on odd year endings of the Western calendar. However, the celebrations are still taking place in years ending with even numbers though in much smaller scale. The rule of determining the date of the festivals is to change the extent of the event in alternative years in regards to the Shogun in the Edo Period, a period which these celebrations were very extravagant. More so, the major tourist attraction worth of observing in the uneven numbered years is the displays, held on Saturdays. During the shows, some 300 people march along the central streets of Tokyo districts such as Marunouchi, Otemachi, Nihombashi and various nearby streets. Also, a major attraction to the tourist are the portable shrines that contain Phoenix decorations. On top of the shrines are a wide variety floats, and Shinto priests placed on the back of horses in line rows, all these provide a very spectacular sight. The following, on Sunday, people from different districts display an estimated 100 large and small portable shrines. Some of the offered souvenirs are fans, towels, and clothing materials printed with pictures of the festival scene. Kanda, which is the venue of the festivals, was the original quarter of the Edo, that is, the present city of Tokyo in the ancient Edo Period. Children born and bred in Kanda were known as “Edokko” and were considered to be very high-spirited. Further, the Kanda Matsuri reflects the character of these children which is a joyful festival full of energy. Additional tourist attractions include the Kanda Myojin Museum that is open to the public during national holidays and on the weekends. In reality, the Museum contains a series of the picture that illustrates the continuous scenes of the Kanda Matsuri and also displays the models of floats. Conclusion Therefore, it is evident that that despite Mega-events and Hallmark events being different, they attract tourist into the hosting countries. Being an important source of tourism, it helps in the enhancement of the structural and economic development, international unity, and creates employments. Certainly, mega events are meant to enhance peace, unity and appreciating ability and talents. On the other hand, Hallmark events enhance the cultural practices of the community and have also proven to be an outstanding source of history and traditions passed over the years. Works cited Getz, Donald, et al. "Hallmark events: definition and planning process."International Journal of Event Management Research 7.1/2 (2012): 47-67. Grix, Jonathan, and Barrie Houlihan. "Sports Mega‐Events as Part of a Nation's Soft Power Strategy: The Cases of Germany (2006) and the UK (2012)." The British Journal of Politics & International Relations 16.4 (2014): 572-596. Malhado, Acácia Cristina Mendes, and Rainer Rothfuss. "Transporting 2014 FIFA World Cup to sustainability: exploring residents’ and tourists’ attitudes and behaviours." Journal of Policy Research in Tourism, Leisure and Events 5.3 (2013): 252-269. Mowforth, Martin, and Ian Munt. Tourism and sustainability: Development, globalisation and new tourism in the third world. Routledge, 2015. Okubo, Kenji, Cornelis Gardebroek, and Wim Heijman. "Research note: The economic value and roles of rural festivals in Japan." Tourism Economics 20.5 (2014): 1125-1132. Read More