Οι Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες και η επιρροή τους στον τουρισμό

Abstract

Sporting events are very often the reason why a large proportion of people decide to travel either to other cities of the country they live in or to others abroad. The Olympic Games in addition to their importance in the field of sports, are also of particular importance as an example of the greatest challenges people face throughout their lives. Organizing major sporting events such as Olympic Games, therefore, affects tourism which is an area of the economy that is constantly evolving and offers benefits at all levels. This paper aims to show the way Olympic Games affect tourism and analyses three cases of cities hosting the Games, the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the 2004 Athens Olympics. Through these three cases it seems that hosting the Games does not present the same results and has a different influence on the tourism of each hosting country. The Olympic Games success depends on the readiness of each country, the level of organization but also on several external factors. The Olympic Games do not always present the expected positive benefits. In conclusion, there is a mandatory need for systematic study and effective marketing strategies