Measuring the Net Economic Impact of an International Sporting Event

Sporting events are a phenomena shared by numerous communities throughout the country and generally make a positive contribution to the local economy. To be able to determine the economic impact of races, tournaments, and championships is of great value to both public and private groups in any town. Economic gain may be the deciding factor for the future provision of these staged tourist attractions. The specific methods used to accurately assess the economic impact of sporting events have received considerable attention in the literature, contributing to the development of a refined economic impact methodology, however, relatively few studies have applied these valid procedures in aggregate. Further, considerable revenues leak from the local economy with events with nonresident allied businesses (i.e., food and beverage concessionaires, souvenir vendors, etc.) This research details the economic impact assessment model developed and applied to the 1991 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Issues specifically addressed by the model include the vendor factor, sample and recall bias, and switching of expenditures. Other methodological concerns in economic impact studies and research recommendations are discussed with direct implications to recreation, sport, and tourism researchers and practitioners

A Comparison of Traditional and Refined Conversion Study Procedures

A critical issue in hospitality marketing is determining the effectiveness of advertising campaigns conducted by state and local tourism offices. Conversion studies are the most common method of evaluating tourism advertising programs. This article focuses on the traditional methods of tourism conversion studies and suggests procedures for more accurate research and improved interpretation. These refined procedures were used in a conversion study for a convention and visitors bureau located in the southwest of the United States. Findings further illustrate the inaccuracies of traditional conversion study principles while demonstrating the enhanced validity of the recommended methodology

Ecotourism: Where Business and the Environment Meet

Ecotourism has become a powerful economic segment of the wider tourism industry despite a lack of consensual definition and standards that define operating parameters. This paper explores ecotourism by reviewing, the statistics of the phenomenon, potential reasons for its unprecedented growth and attempts at definitional consistency. The pejorative impacts on host cultures and the environment, and positive steps that are rectifying earlier mismanagement in both demand and supply side sectors are also considered. A final section addresses questions that need to be answered by the principles involved in the promotion and supply of the ecotourism business

Mortality and pulmonary complications in patients undergoing surgery with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection: an international cohort study

Background: The impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on postoperative recovery needs to be understood to inform clinical decision making during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study reports 30-day mortality and pulmonary complication rates in patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: This international, multicentre, cohort study at 235 hospitals in 24 countries included all patients undergoing surgery who had SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed within 7 days before or 30 days after surgery. The primary outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality and was assessed in all enrolled patients. The main secondary outcome measure was pulmonary complications, defined as pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or unexpected postoperative ventilation. Findings: This analysis includes 1128 patients who had surgery between Jan 1 and March 31, 2020, of whom 835 (74·0%) had emergency surgery and 280 (24·8%) had elective surgery. SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed preoperatively in 294 (26·1%) patients. 30-day mortality was 23·8% (268 of 1128). Pulmonary complications occurred in 577 (51·2%) of 1128 patients; 30-day mortality in these patients was 38·0% (219 of 577), accounting for 81·7% (219 of 268) of all deaths. In adjusted analyses, 30-day mortality was associated with male sex (odds ratio 1·75 [95% CI 1·28–2·40], p\textless0·0001), age 70 years or older versus younger than 70 years (2·30 [1·65–3·22], p\textless0·0001), American Society of Anesthesiologists grades 3–5 versus grades 1–2 (2·35 [1·57–3·53], p\textless0·0001), malignant versus benign or obstetric diagnosis (1·55 [1·01–2·39], p=0·046), emergency versus elective surgery (1·67 [1·06–2·63], p=0·026), and major versus minor surgery (1·52 [1·01–2·31], p=0·047). Interpretation: Postoperative pulmonary complications occur in half of patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection and are associated with high mortality. Thresholds for surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic should be higher than during normal practice, particularly in men aged 70 years and older. Consideration should be given for postponing non-urgent procedures and promoting non-operative treatment to delay or avoid the need for surgery. Funding: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, Bowel and Cancer Research, Bowel Disease Research Foundation, Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons, British Association of Surgical Oncology, British Gynaecological Cancer Society, European Society of Coloproctology, NIHR Academy, Sarcoma UK, Vascular Society for Great Britain and Ireland, and Yorkshire Cancer Research

Current and emerging developments in subseasonal to decadal prediction

Weather and climate variations of subseasonal to decadal timescales can have enormous social, economic and environmental impacts, making skillful predictions on these timescales a valuable tool for decision makers. As such, there is a growing interest in the scientific, operational and applications communities in developing forecasts to improve our foreknowledge of extreme events. On subseasonal to seasonal (S2S) timescales, these include high-impact meteorological events such as tropical cyclones, extratropical storms, floods, droughts, and heat and cold waves. On seasonal to decadal (S2D) timescales, while the focus remains broadly similar (e.g., on precipitation, surface and upper ocean temperatures and their effects on the probabilities of high-impact meteorological events), understanding the roles of internal and externally-forced variability such as anthropogenic warming in forecasts also becomes important. The S2S and S2D communities share common scientific and technical challenges. These include forecast initialization and ensemble generation; initialization shock and drift; understanding the onset of model systematic errors; bias correct, calibration and forecast quality assessment; model resolution; atmosphere-ocean coupling; sources and expectations for predictability; and linking research, operational forecasting, and end user needs. In September 2018 a coordinated pair of international conferences, framed by the above challenges, was organized jointly by the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) and the World Weather Research Prograame (WWRP). These conferences surveyed the state of S2S and S2D prediction, ongoing research, and future needs, providing an ideal basis for synthesizing current and emerging developments in these areas that promise to enhance future operational services. This article provides such a synthesis

An investigation of municipal park and/or recreation department-organized running races in the United States

This nationwide survey identified and described municipal park and/or recreation department-organized running races implemented within incorporated places ranging from 70,000 to 80,000 in population. Furthermore, this study identified on a national basis, selected running race elements associated with the cited population. This study identified selected running race elements which pertained to participation numbers, medical services, registration processes, pre-/post-race activities, scoring and timing and program budgeting. Survey data was collected through the use of a questionnaire format. A preliminary questionnaire was sent to each agency within the cited population (N=50) to identify municipal park and/or recreation departments which organized a running race to describe general departmental characteristics. The return rate of completed preliminary questionnaires was 41/50 or 82% of the sample population. Each site identified as a municipal park and/or recreation department which organized a running race (N=l6) received a supplemental questionnaire to describe selected running race elements pertaining to their major race (largest participant number). The return rate of the supplemental questionnaire was 14/16 or 87.5%. Analysis of data was based on percentage (frequency of response). Each site identified as a municipal park and/or recreation department which organized a running race was examined for uniqueness or similarity in responses in relation to the other representative sites