In COVID-19 Context: A Review and Revelations Study of Sporting Events on the Impact of Sports Tourism Development in China, the United States and Japan

Abstract

This paper uses a comparative analysis method of literature compilation to review the impact of sports events on sports tourism development, and the strategies to develop the sports tourism response in combination with sports events in China, the United States, and Japan during the COVID-19 epidemic. In the United States, continuous repair or reconstruction of infrastructure, support for related industries, continuous hosting of sports events, and rational planning of post-event legacy took place. In Japan, the trends included building a sports tourism destination brand, using new media webcasting and short video promotion, applying digital intelligence technology, and setting sustainable development goals. In China, sports tourism started late, and despite strong support from national policies and the continued development of the boutique route, the sports tourism destination brand effect is still weak, and some areas of infrastructure management struggle, coupled with the shackles of the epidemic. Hence, there is a pressing need for the rapid recovery of China’s sports tourism development. This study proposes the integration of digital intelligence technology into the process to develop intelligent sports tourism, effective practices of sustainable development, the transformation of post-competition heritage into livelihood resources, support for related industries to create sports tourism complexes, and the use of new media and short videos to establish the brand image of sports tourism destinations.