Are We Making the Most of Olympic Tourism for 2012? (original) (raw)
Introducing our latest eCollection: 2012 London Olympics
British Politics and Policy at LSE, 2013
The London 2012 Olympic Games were an acclaimed success for both their sporting achievements and also for overcoming serious pessimism about the UK's ability to organise such a monumental event. Despite spiralling costs, serious security concerns and criticism about the over-involvement of corporate sponsors, the planners and organizers were celebrated alongside Team GB's athletes. ... Debate will now focus on quantifying the benefits of hosting the Olympics, both in terms of improved infrastructure in a neglected part of east London and increased ...
an opportunity to raise the profile of our HLST subjects group. From the sciences that underpin the preparation of elite athletes for world class performance to the coaching and sports management capacity required to support the growing participation in sport which the Games will promote; from travel and tourism management to the provision of high quality facilities and services for participants and visitors alike; our courses contribute the professional skills, knowledge and understanding which are essential for the success of such multifaceted and complex, prestigious, international sporting events.
Economic Impact of the London 2012 Olympics
2005
Abstract On 6 July 2005 the International Olympic Committee awarded the right to stage the 2012 summer Olympic and Paralympic Games to London. The decision to bid for the Games is a politically contentious one, with many arguments that support the benefits that such “mega events” bring and many arguments that highlight the detrimental effects that they can incur. This political decision is further complicated by the existence of groups in society that benefit from the hosting of such events and other groups that lose out because of them; and because of pressure groups that exist on both sides of this argument. This paper examines the economic benefits and costs of hosting the Olympics, in parallel with other studies that have estimated other social and environmental costs and benefits. The objective is to use the most appropriate form of methodology to examine the net economic consequences of hosting the Games for both the UK as a whole and for London. The net benefits are found to be positive, and large relative to the investment in the bidding process, although smaller than previous studies that have tended to examine gross effects.
Year 2. Grade A 73%. Module: Tourism, Culture and Regeneration. Cities that hosts world-class events grasps a golden chance that can enable a shift in personality and image in a short period of time. Trivial places can become global places and world city’s can reinforce their existing image, position or status. It can stimulate and produce long-term benefits not exclusively to the host city and its citizens, but well beyond the surrounding region and the host country. The opposite is also true, if appropriate policies and strategies are not planned and executed, great harm to the image of the host city and country will be caused, risking future plans of attracting more events. (Smith, 2007) Mega events such as the Olympic games are a high status international event much desired by nations for a myriad of reasons. Besides the great feeling that team sports can exert over a society combined with the sense of union and global friendship it disseminates, host cities have the opportunity of attract inward investments, extensive media exposure, prestige and perform urban restructuring. (Law, 2002) For this piece of work, concepts such as urban regeneration, events-led regeneration, legacy and the creation of cultural quarters, creative clusters and hubs will be analysed, discussed and evaluated. Moreover, the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics games will be the chosen case study to illustrate the events-led regeneration.
Ziakas, V., & Boukas, N. (2013, June). Post-Event Leverage and Olympic Legacy: A Strategic Framework for the Development of Sport and Cultural Tourism in Post-Olympic Athens. Presented at the 9th Annual International Conference on Tourism, ATINER, Athens, Greece.
Although the hosting of the 2004 Olympics in Athens constituted a unique opportunity for the diversification and enrichment of Athens’ (and Greece’s) tourism product, the evident lack of coordination between commercial providers and public governing bodies inhibited the development of a joint strategic approach to leverage the Games. However, the successful organization of the Olympics left a valuable intangible and tangible legacy for Athens, enhancing its heritage and tourism infra/superstructure respectively. Given the unrealized aspiration of harnessing the post-Olympic facilities, this study examines the potential of Athens to exploit its Olympic legacy for the joint development of sport and cultural tourism. This attempt seeks to synthesize a common ground for sport and cultural tourism development in Olympic cities by focusing on Olympic tourism in the post-Games period as it relates to the use of Olympic legacy and post-Olympic assets. A qualitative approach was adopted by conducting nine semi-structured interviews with city officials and tourism administrators. Findings reveal the conditions for synergistic development of sport and cultural tourism and the actions required to mobilize the network of actors, resources and assets that can enable Athens to move from its current inertia and implement post-event leveraging. The study argues that it is still not late for Athens to leverage its post-Olympic assets/legacy capitalizing on its unique and rich cultural heritage interwoven with the Olympic Games. Towards this direction, the study sheds light on what and how can be corrected in order to mitigate the sources and consequences of problems, while providing lessons for future Olympic cities. Finally, a strategic framework is suggested for leveraging the Olympic legacy and developing sustainable post-Olympic (sport and cultural) tourism products.
THE 2012 LONDON GAMES: CAN OLYMPIC LEGACIES BE SUSTAINABLE
Mega-events, from the Olympics to the World Cups, are often regarded as catalysts for the overall redevelopment of a city. Mega-events have driven the urban transformation of cities like Barcelona or Beijing, but while the prospect of economic growth is the leading force for hosting them, the legacies that follow their staging, especially regarding sustainable development, are difficult to design and quantify. The research draws an investigation into the impact of mega sports events on the built environment, focusing on the analysis of the 2012 London Olympic Games. The aim of this study is to assess of the real legacies of the 2012 Olympics in London in terms of sustainable urbanism, with particular regard to the public open spaces created (Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and the Olympic Village). The case of London was selected, among other Olympic cities, because the British capital was the first Olympic city with a comprehensive legacy plan and a sustainability strategy already in execution before the hosting of the Games. Moreover, the case of London offers a wide variety of legacies that can be analysed. Future research will focus on the development of a comprehensive framework for appraising legacies of mega sports events, focusing on their long-term self-sustained impacts, which means an analysis of the economic, social, environmental, but cultural and governance-related legacies.
Leisure Studies Beyond the Games: regeneration legacies and London 2012
Regeneration is a concept strongly linked with major sports events. It is often used as a rationale to justify expenditure and gain local support. However, there is limited robust evidence to support the notion that major events deliver longer term urban regeneration. This paper examines the regeneration legacies of the Olympic Games by exploring evidence from previous host cities together with the regeneration legacy plans for London beyond 2012. It discusses the factors that contribute to success; the importance of monitoring and evaluation and the methodological challenges this creates. The paper argues that although regeneration legacies are a realistic expectation for cities that host the Olympic Games, they are dependent upon several success factors and can take many years to be realised. It concludes by suggesting a number of considerations for establishing a framework for holistic regeneration legacy evaluation in the future.
Social science perspectives on the 2012 Olympic Games
2008
This symposium arises from a public event held on 14 March 2008 by the Academy of Social Sciences, in cooperation with the University of East London, as part of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) 2008 Festival of Social Sciences. The purpose of the symposium is to explore the contribution which social scientists can make to the understanding of the London Olympics, and to clarify issues of public benefit of different kinds which arise from the hosting of the 2012 Games in London.