Aspects of
Olympic Games Tourism
3rd Conference “Tourism & Development”
Post-Olympic strategies for Greek Tourism
Prof. Dr. Holger Preuss
Faculty of Sport
Sport Economics and Sport Management
Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz
Some theses …
Indirekt Impact
Size of
Tourism
Legacy
Tourists returned home from Athens
2004 and tell stories about their
experiences. That may motivate
others to visit Athens and Greece.
The economic tourism effect is as huge
as the economic impact through
construction and operation of the
Games.
Tourism is the main long term
economic legacy for Olympic Games
hosts. A well planned strategy can
increase tourism.
Based on hotel capacity, accessibility and
availability of tickets the number of tourists is
different from Games to Games
Out of city visitors
Los Angeles 1984
Olympic
family
Out of city visitors
(total)*
400 000 – 608 760
28 460
770 000
less than 240 000
39 332
240 000
250 000 – 422 666
55 000
450 000
Atlanta 1996
736 100 – 2 000 000
72 543
968 000
Sydney 2000
110 000
57 000
475 000
Athens 2004
150 000**
60 000
660 000
Beijing 2008
600 000***
60 000
660 000
Seoul 1988
Barcelona 1992
Notes:
*
**
***
Figures estimated on foregoing columns and on additional information.
Only international visitors, Olympic Family estimated
According the hotel capacity (Bidding Committee Beijing 2008, 2001). Olympic Family estimated.
50
Awareness of the Games host city
40
30
Awareness of
Calgary and
Edmonton
%
20
10
0
1986
1987
Calgary Europe
Calgary USA
1988
Edmonton Europe
Edmonton USA
1989
Image: Attributes of Australia seen by
Americans and British
90
75
60
45
30
15
0
y
th
r
o
T
tw
s
ru
F
ly
d
n
rie
H
h
ig
ity
l
ua
Q
ive
t
va
o
nn
I
G
d
oo
ue
l
Va
C
Source: data from Young & Rubicam
UK 1999
es
r
a
UK 2002
C
us
s
er
m
to
USA 1999
n
Fu
R
le
b
ia
el
USA 2002
D
t
n
re
e
f
if
Attributes of Australia seen by Germans
90
75
60
45
30
15
0
ly
d
n
ei
r
F
nt
e
r
fi fe
n
Fu
D
T
Source: 2000 data from Young & Rubicam
s
ru
y
th
r
o
W
t
H
h
ig
lity
a
u
Q
2000
I
ive
t
va
o
nn
2001
G
d
oo
e
lu
a
V
C
es
r
a
R
e
bl
a
i
el
Ways the image of a host city affects
the target groups
Image conveyed by
other persons
Image
Image
(1)
Environment
Media representatives
(4)
(3)
Black
box
Active
promotion
Olympic Games
Host city / OCOG
Own opinion by
direct visit
(2)
Tourists / businesses / institutions
The Australian Tourist Commission’s fouryear strategic programme included:
• a visiting journalist programme
• servicing 50 000 international media inquiries
• providing a specialist internet for media, bringing
international broadcasters to Australia before the Games
• working with international television to provide stories,
quality vision and sound resources of all parts of
Australia
• cooperative arrangements and joint advertorials with
Olympic sponsors
• providing media with interesting visuals of the torch relay
• providing international magazines with stories
• photography and offering a non-accredited media centre
in Sydney
Olympic Games
Aim I
Atmosphere
in Athens
foreign
tourists to
Athens
Media
returning home
complex system
complex system
motivation to
plan a trip to
Athens
motivation to
plan a trip to
Beijing, ...
Aim II
autonomous
expenditure
„economic legacy
for Athens“
internatinal visitors (season adjusted)
Long
term Olympic tourism in Australia
in Tausend
1999
2001
460
Olympic month
2002
2000
420
380
Sep, 11
340
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEZ
Consumers' inclination to holiday in
Australia sometime the next five years
IND
INA
MAS
THA
CHN
SIN
45%
56%
41%
43%
37%
27%
TPE
HKG
JPN
KOR
USA
NZL
GBR
GER
26%
19%
24%
15%
24%
17%
13%
21%
But there also have been negative impacts e.g. in South Africa
through the Aboriginal Issue.
Hotel nights
Attica?
1800
nights in thousands
1500
1200
900
Games
period
600
300
0
JAN
FEB
MAR APR MAY
1990
JUN
1991
JUL
AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
1992
1993
Occupancy rate (hotels)
Attica?
100
80
60
%
40
Games
period
20
0
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
1990
JUN
1991
JUL
AUG
1992
SEP
1993
OCT
NOV
DEC
Hotel development in the host city
Munich1
972
LA 1984
Seoul
1988
Barcelon
a 1992
Atlanta
1996
Sydney
2000
Athens
2004
Beijing
2008
Games-related
increase in the
number of hotel
rooms (%)
12.2*
5.8
41.9 48
38
9.1*
12.5*
N/A
62.5
Hotel occupancy
rate during
Olympic year
N/A
75
72
65
68
N/A
N/A
N/A
Relative change
in occupancy rate
during Olympic
year compared to
previous year (%)
N/A
-1
-2
-5
-3
N/A
N/A
N/A
Change of congress participants in %
80
60
40
20
0
t-1
t
t+1
t+2
-20
-40
Barcelona
Atlanta
Sydney
Impact of Olympic Games on Athens and Greece
800 Million Euro
(Frankfurt 2012)
Development path
Plateau
no effect
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Follow up costs
Impact of Olympics on tourism structure
Structural
requirement
for tourism
CITY
Structural Requirement
OLYMPICS 2004
Impact of Olympics on tourism structure
Structural
requirement
for tourism
CITY
Structural Requirement
OLYMPICS 2004
Impact of Olympics on tourism structure
Structural Requirement
Structural
Requirement
OLYMPICS 2004
CITY
Impact of Olympics on tourism structure
Field (B) Requirement
Field (C)
Structural
Structural
Olympic
related
Olympic
city tourism
related
Requirement
SPORT EVENT
development
Field (A)
CITY
non-Olympic
related city
tourism
development
structure
Impact of Olympics on tourism structure
Field (A)
non-Olympic
related city
tourism
development
Field (B)
Field (C)
Olympic related
city tourism
development
Olympic
related
structure
Myth
Myth is that you need the structure
control and plan field (C)
Fact
One-time push of accelerated
development (B)
Fact
Do not stop the development of (A)
Potential “Tourism legacy” for Athens 2004
START
global competition between tourist destinations
and mega sport event destinations
development of
infrastructure
Greece
(Athens)
development of
new products
strengthening of
destination „brand“
END
increase of demand
visible
invisible
positioning of
destination
Thank You
Athens 2004 - temporary stands