Where the good times roll: New Orleans as a destination for sports event tourism

Abstract

Over the past several decades, sports event tourism has been a growing area of research for scholars in the fields of sport administration, strategic communications, destination marketing and tourism. The city of New Orleans is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the United States, with its various entertainment, sports, and cultural events. Over the past three decades, New Orleans has hosted over 30 major sports events and will host several more major events including the BCS National Championship, NCAA Men’s and Women’s Final Four, and the Super Bowl through February 2013. This case study shows several primary reasons that New Orleans is continually chosen as an event host, including its reputation as a vibrant, unique tourist destination along with its facility infrastructure. In-depth interviews conducted with New Orleans tourism and sports commission officials show that the presence of large stadiums and convention facilities, along with many hotels and restaurants in close proximity to these facilities, and the authenticity of the city as a tourist destination is what primarily sets New Orleans apart as a premier host and destination for major sports events.