The Faculty of Sports (UFRSTAPS) organized the second edition of the “Tourisport” conference, which aims to be a place for meetings, exchanges, assessments, and testimonies on the current events in the sports, tourism, and leisure sectors.
The crisis context affecting all sectors, including tourism, prompted a focus on this second edition of the conference around the theme of sports event management as a driver of tourism attractiveness within a sustainability framework.
Some benchmarks:
The expansion of sport as a leisure activity, coupled with the development of recreational and tourist consumption, induces a socio-economic impact on tourist destinations.
This connection intertwines tourism activities and sports activities. The holding of these sporting events (regattas, off-road races, tennis tournaments, etc.) requires traveling and staying in the locality where the event takes place.
In certain circumstances, the primary appeal of a destination for the public will be to attend or participate in a sporting event. The Beijing Olympics are a noteworthy example. The sporting aspect leads audiences to visit the site and take the opportunity to discover or rediscover the destination.
While this type of tourism undeniably has a local impact, it sometimes remains limited in time while having environmental effects. This conference examines the sustainable dimension of these impacts, be they economic, sociocultural, environmental, or social.
This conference was initiated by Bernard MASSIERA and Christian COGLIEVINA; the former is an associate professor and director of the Master’s program in Management: Sport, Tourism, Leisure, and Local Development; the latter is an international lecturer in tourism economy and marketing, a member of the International Association of Scientific Experts in Tourism (AIEST), and a certified professor.
Is sports event management a driver of sustainable tourism attractiveness?
This question was answered, each contributing their vision and experience, by the guest speakers:
- Mr. Claude Origet de Cluzeau, Vice President of the French Association of Scientific Experts in Tourism
- Mr. Guillaume Rose, Deputy Director of the Tourism and Congresses Directorate of the Principality of Monaco
- Mr. Denis Zanon, General Director of the Tourism and Congress Office of the City of Nice
The discussion topics were:
- Sports activities as components of the tourism product
- Sports and tourism as elements stimulating regional development
- The socio-economic impacts of sports tourism on the Côte d’Azur
- The impact of sports events on the tourist destination’s image
- Joint promotion of sports events and tourism
- Managing the environmental impacts of large-scale tourism and sports events
An interactive exchange between the audience and the speakers concluded this very interesting event, which was undoubtedly valuable for the numerous students present in the Château de Valrose hall.
