Chris Bull

The impact of hosting major sporting events on local residents: an analysis of the views and perceptions of Canterbury residents in relation to the Tour de France 2007

While much is written on the economic and social impacts of certain types of major sports tourism event such as the Olympic Games and soccer World Cup, there has been relatively little assessment of different types of event, such as the Tour de France. Furthermore, most impact studies assess the impacts either during or after the event. This paper examines certain impacts in relation to the Tour de France Stage One race that ended in the city of Canterbury on 8 July 2007, but adopts a different approach by examining the views and perceptions of residents in the run up to the event rather than looking at impacts per se. 408 residents were interviewed to assess the extent to which the local population was aware of the event, likely to participate in it and how far they would support it. In addition, the study was also concerned to assess the effectiveness of the City Councils promotional campaign. Results showed that the vast majority of residents were aware of the event with many planning to watch the race or participate in related activities. Furthermore, despite the potential for various negative impacts, there was overwhelming support for the decision to host the event, suggesting a very successful promotional campaign by the City Council.

Niche markets and small island tourism: the development of sports tourism in Malta

While tourism can bring many economic advantages to small islands, there are many examples of rapid, unplanned tourist development having produced over-reliance on this one industry, environmental degradation and a concentration on the lower quality end of the mass tourism market. As a result, in the 1990s many islands have been seeking to remedy this situation by a greater commitment to planning, upgrading of facilities and developing new markets. This paper examines this issue through a case study of the island of Malta, which has experienced many of these problems, and evaluates the development of a particular niche market, that of sports tourism. As well as assessing the potential market for sports tourism and the current extent of development on the island, the paper also examines various resource constraints and issues that may affect the potential for future development and concludes by examining the role and commitment of government in formulating appropriate policies. In addition to its value for...

Public policy engagement with British tourism: the national, local and the European Union

The changing nature of tourism policy is examined through a review of the UK, and of national government policy, urban tourism and rural tourism. Supranational tourism policy influences, namely of the European Union, on tourism are also examined. The effects of other policy spheres on tourism strategy are considered, as is the diversity and complexity of tourism policy. One of the major conclusions of the paper is the uneven development of tourism policy in the UK, and against this background it seeks to identify future policy issues and a research agenda for tourism geography.

Influences on sport-tourism relations in Britain: the effects of government policy

Previous work by the authors has identified five factors-ideology (political and professional), government policy, organisational structure, organisational culture, and key staff—that may influence liaison between sport and tourism agencies. Of these five influences government policy is perhaps the most obvious. This paper examines recent government policy in Britain in respect of sport and tourism, focusing particularly on policy formulated under the auspices of the Department of National Heritage since its creation in 1992. A review of regional policy as it stood in 1994 showed some limited piecemeal liaison between sport and tourism agencies. However, using recently collected empirical evidences, this paper argues that whilst the creation of a Department of National Heritage may appear to bring the sport and tourism sectors closer together, many of its policy initiatives have served to make liaison between the two sectors less likely. The paper speculates that future prosperous sport-tourism relationsh...

A systematic review and meta-analyses of the potential local economic impact of tourism and leisure cycling and the development of an Evidence-Based Market Segmentation

Through a systematic review and meta-analyses of worldwide evidence, this article provides estimates for spend per person per day of overnight (£43.33), non-overnight (£7.95), and all (£13.38) tourism and leisure cyclists. A further meta-analysis to inform local policy, provision, and local economic impact strategies provides evidence for seven tourism and leisure cycling market segments (Near Residents, Far Residents, Near Day Trippers, Far Day Trippers, Near Holidayers, Far Holidayers, Cycle Tourers), and their associated behaviors and spending patterns. Over three quarters of economic activity attributable to tourism and leisure cycling (77%) is shown to be derived from cycling tourism, thus representing additional local economic impact. In conclusion, the use of market segmentation to derive local economic impact estimates is discussed. The importance of considering how far cycling tourism affects trip decisions, rather than whether cycling tourism is the prime trip purpose, is highlighted in deriving robust economic impact estimates. Finally, because the Cycle Tourers market segment contributes less than 2% of market volume and value, future research might usefully focus on less dedicated but more prevalent casual recreationalist cyclists, who are interested in shorter trips, with more stops for refreshments and socializing, and who often travel in family groups.

An exogenous shock to the system? The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and British tourism policy

This paper explores the impact of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games on British tourism policy development and delivery using an archival documentary review of 54 documents (dated 1999–2010) relating to strategy for tourism, identified from searches of the archives of 23 public sector organisations and government departments in Britain. The paper draws on the literature on policy communities and networks to categorise the British tourism policy community as a loosely formed issue network. The extent to which this loosely formed issue network has experienced an ‘exogenous shock’ as a result of the award of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to London is then explored through an interpretive analysis of British tourism policy between 1999 and June 2010, drawing on an inductive content analysis of policy documents which identified four prominent tourism policy themes for analysis: quality, marketing, niche markets and sustainability. The interpretive analysis suggests, first, that the tourism policy community may be strengthened as a result of the award of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to London. In particular, the political imperative to demonstrate a tourism legacy as a partial justification for the £9.3bn public investment in the 2012 Games has drawn the key government actor, the Department for Culture Media and Sport, into the community to provide a more comprehensive strategic leadership, while the British non-departmental public body, Visit Britain, is showing signs of achieving the legitimacy to deliver implementational leadership. Together, these two actors now appear to have the potential to form an emergent primary core at the same time as more meaningful interdependencies between members of the policy community appear to be developing, resulting in a more stable membership. The result is a tourism policy community that has strengthened from its relatively long-standing structure as a loosely constituted issue zone. The conclusion, therefore, is that it appears that the award of the 2012 Games to London does appear to have acted as an ‘exogenous shock’ to the tourism policy-making system, in that it appears to have resulted in an adjustment in the structure of the tourism policy community. However, what is not clear is whether this is a permanent adjustment that will be sustained once the need to demonstrate a tourism legacy to justify the 9.3bn investment in the 2012 Games has passed. If the adjustment can be sustained, then a strengthened British tourism policy community will be a valuable, if invisible, legacy of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The Changing Role of Live Entertainment at English Seaside Resorts at the Beginning of the Twenty-first Century

Abstract This paper seeks to explore the role of live entertainment in the continuing fortunes and life of English seaside resorts at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Based primarily on an analysis of key reports and in-depth interviews with various informed-source local government practitioners at seven seaside resorts in England, it focuses on the place of live entertainment in both the tourism product and an increasing and broader cultural product available to local communities. Key findings suggest that, while live entertainment is not a prime motive for visiting resorts, it is, nevertheless, something that visitors expect to see and thus seaside local authorities continue to support their local theatres. However, given the considerable subsidy involved, such councils are increasingly managing and promoting their theatres for a broader audience, involving local residents as well as tourists, with theatres operating all year round.

The relationships between cycle tourism and sustainable transport in the UK

The use of both sustainable transport outcomes and tourism impacts as a mixed justification for investment in cycling infrastructure has led to the two often being seen as synonymous. The environmentally friendly credentials of cycle tourism are predicated on a conceptualization of cycle tourism in which cycling as a form of transport supplants other energy-consuming and -polluting forms of transport within the tourism trip. However, using a recent meta-analysis of UK data, this research note shows that even when the environmental costs of major cycling events are excluded, in absolute terms recreational cycle tourism across its full range of forms in the UK still generates considerable motorized transport use. But, the use of counterfactual models shows that in relative terms, on average across all its forms, recreational cycle tourism in the UK reduces the use of motorized transport to get to and from destinations by 12.2% and reduces motorized transport use at destinations by 7.6%. Consequently, recreational cycle tourism in the UK does have a positive sustainable transport outcome, but this is far smaller than is often visualized.