Summer olympic tourist market — learning from the past

Abstract

Despite their potential for raising a host city's tourism profile and contributing to a general increase in tourism receipts, the recent summer Olympic Games have proved largely financially unsuccessful for the cities concerned. In this article, the authors discuss the results of the study of Olympic tourist behaviour at the last six Games. After examining the factors that both encouraged and discouraged visitors, and looking at their preferences once arrived, they draw some general conclusions about the way future Olympic Games should be marketed.