Business | Investment
Sporting chance of overspending
Sport is a powerful tool that can put a destination on the map. It also draws people to certain places and drives the economy.
- By Cleofe Maceda, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:34 April 5, 2008
Three years ago, the world was amazed when top tennis stars Andre Agassi and Roger Federer played a friendly match on the highest tennis court on earth, the helipad of the Burj Al Arab hotel.
Such a publicity stunt was immediately circulated on the internet. People passed it on, and not too long after, it became essentially viral. As the news quickly spread, more people who knew very little or nothing about Dubai learned one thing: there's a sail-shaped hotel standing proudly on a man-made island.
"Is that real? My birthday is in a few months, I should save up and treat myself," says one of the thousands of tennis enthusiasts who saw the video clip online.
Indeed, sport is a powerful tool that can put a destination on the map. It also draws people to certain places and drives the economy.
Sport tourists are passionate, high-spending consumers. They typically spend more money than the average tourist does. In fact, according to Eurosport marketing director Roberto Passariello, who was in Dubai recently, people who play golf spend four times more per day than any ordinary visitor.
And when they return home, golfers recommend the destination to their friends or family. Since 35 per cent of people who travel consult a family member or friend who has visited a destination, the word-of-mouth factor comes very much into play.
That's why a lot of countries around the world set aside millions of dollars to attract a World Cup or Olympic Games. In fact, the government of Australia reportedly spent $1.7 billion on the 2000 Olympics. Since the games were a magnet for tourists, the country reaped $4.3 billion in return, aside from creating thousands of new jobs and improving its transport systems and infrastructure.
Boost
The Rugby World Cup in France last year brought 400,000 additional visitors to the country. In the years following the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, 90 per cent of those who came for the games recommended the country for holidays.
Recently, Singapore announced that it is adding the first Formula One Night Racing to its "must see" list in order to meet its goal of attracting 17 million tourists and generating a revenue of S$30 billion annually by 2015.
So the direct benefit of a sport event to a destination is cash. Years of follow-on tourists and the additional or better infrastructure are part of the indirect blessings.
And there's no doubt Dubai is doing the same. Already, it has hosted the Dubai World Cup - the world's wealthiest equestrian event - and other high-profile occasions. Such events propel Dubai into the arena of global tourism, boosting the economy, and can be expected to continue to do so.
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