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Summary of this study:
The link between sport and tourism has been widely researched. In this context, many studies have focused on sporting events and have found that sporting events offer a variety of opportunities but also present many challenges at the local level.
This study addressed the following research questions: What do we know today about the tourism prospects of sporting events? What are the main tourism impacts of a sporting event? What are the most and least studied research directions in this particular research area?
To answer these questions, a systematic literature review was conducted, covering literature published worldwide between June 2000 and October 2020. Based on the findings, insights into six clusters and their characteristics were provided, highlighting key aspects to describe how sporting events offer unique benefits to tourism destinations.
Findings from this study:
- Sports events contribute to tourism recovery during crises, especially in the post-COVID-19 pandemic period
- The analysis of the existing literature shows that the research focuses on six main categories: Risk dimension, Reviews and conceptual contributions, Characteristics and attributes, Brand/image dimension, Hosting dimension and Legacy (impacts/effects)
- Contributions and impacts of sporting events: particularly with regard to tourism, these are the most frequently studied topics, with a focus on mega sporting events such as the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup
- There is a need for further research into sustainability efforts, authenticity, the use of sporting events to transform a destination.
- Research on sport event tourism is fragmented and scattered across numerous journals, requiring additional research from multiple angles.