Examining whether exposure to external information influences perceptions of increased crime at an Olympic Games host destination: The case of London 2012

Risks associated with the Olympic Games have been studied; however, there is a lack of research that empirically examines whether exposure to external information influences prospective tourists’ destination risk perceptions. A survey of 1,200 British, Australian, and Canadian residents was conducted to examine factors that influence prospective tourists’ perceptions of increased crime in London during the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. The age group 55-64 was a significant predictor, while other age groups, income, and gender were not significant predictors. While controlling for demographics, past experience traveling to London and attending the Games were not significant predictors. Travel advisories and reading about the London riots were significant predictors, while watching television coverage of the riots and reading social media messages related to crises in London were not significant predictors while controlling for demographics and past experience. Lastly, travel risk perceptions were a significant predictor, while controlling for the previous independent variables

The Meaning and Measurement of a Sport Event Experience Among Active Sport Tourists

Destinations use sport events to attract participants and spectators, who then hold perceptions of both the sport event and destination. This research aimed to a) understand how active sport tourists perceive the meaning of a sport event experience and b) develop a scale for that meaning. Both aims are studied in a post trip context as evaluative research. Two focus groups were used to understand the meaning of the sport event experience among active sport tourists. Results from the focus groups suggest participants attribute meanings related to organizational, environmental, physical, social, and emotional aspects of the sport event experience. Next, semantic differential items were developed to measure the meaning of a sport event experience in the post trip phase. The items were tested with two different sport event participant samples using surveys. A uni-dimensionsal scale of 11 semantic differential items emerged. These items provide a measure for the evaluative meaning of a sport event experience

استطلاع آراء القطريين والوافدين حول استضافة كأس العالم لكرة القدم 2022

This report presents the results of The Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup survey of Qatari nationals and white-collar expatriates residing in Qatar. The study was conducted and funded by the Social and Economic Survey Research Institute (SESRI) at Qatar University in collaboration with the University of Florida. The data are intended to inform planners and decision makers, as well as the academic community. All those connected with this project are grateful to the hundreds of Qatari nationals and white-collar residents who gave their valuable time to participate in this survey. The successful completion of the survey was made possible through the contributions of many dedicated individuals who work at the Social and Economic Survey Research Institute (SESRI), Qatar University, and at Department of Tourism, Recreation and Sport Management, College of Health and Human Performance at the University of Florida. The Social & Economic Survey Research Institute (SESRI) is an independent research organization at Qatar University. Since its inception in 2008, it has developed a strong survey-based infrastructure in order to provide high quality survey data for planning and research in the social and economic sectors.الهدف من هذا المشروع هو تقييم مدى تأثير كأس العالم على تغيير نوعية حياة الأشخاص الذين يعيشون في دولة قطر من خلال تقييم تأثير الإعداد لهذا الحدث على البلد والمنطقة. وقد تم الإشارة إلى إرث الفعالية في كلمات رئيس لجنة ملف قطر 2022 ،الشيخ محمد بن حمد آل ثاني: "إن المنافع الاقتصادية ستكون كبيرة لكل بلد في منطقة الشرق الأوسط. وسيكون منصة كبيرة نحو تغيير نظرة العالم الإسلامي ومنطقة الشرق الأوسط للعالم الخارجي". أهداف الدراسة ذات شقين: أ) دراسة تأثيرات الفعالية على الاتجاهات العامة، ونوعية الحياة والتصورات و دعم كأس العالم في دولة قطر وعالقة ذلك مع نوعية حياة المقيمين من أجل تحديد آثار الفعالية على المواطنين و المقيمين في دولة قطر؛ ب) وضع بيانات مرجعية للمواطنين و للمقيمين في دولة قطر بشأن تأثيرات كأس العالم على المنطقة. تتمثل أهمية الدراسة في ثلاث جوانب: أولا توفر بيانات أساسية وتضع أساسا لنهج طولي لتقييم آثار الفعاليات الكبيرة، و هو ما ينقصنا حاليا في أدبيات الاطار النظري. ثانيا اقتراح نموذج لتقييم العوامل التي تؤثر على المواقف تجاه الفعالية، ونوعية الحياة ودعم الفعالية في دولة مثل قطر التي تمثل منطقة الشرق الأوسط والقيم الثقافية والحياتية المرتبطة بالبلد والمنطقة. ثالثا يسمح هذا التقييم بتشكيل وتنفيذ سياسة من شأنها أن تؤدي إلى تدخلات لتحسين نوعية حياة السكان والحصول على تأييدهم تجاه الفعالية من خلال مشاركتهم في عملية استضافة الحدث. بالإضافة إلى ذلك، ستوفر الدراسة لصناعة الرياضة في دولة قطر والمنظمات المرتبطة بكرة القدم، مثل اللجنة العليا للمشاريع والإرث، معلومات تساعد على صياغة استراتيجيات الاتصال ذات الصلة مع وسائل الإعلام وغيرها من الجهات المعنية (مثل، الهيئة العامة للسياحة) و يمكن أن تكون البيانات الأساسية أرضية للدارسين الذين يهدفون إلى مراقبة تصورات مشابهة للعمل/ البحث في المستقبل، و بالتالي إيجاد بصمة في المجال التعليمي. في مسح كأس العالم لكرة القدم 2022 في قطر، تم إجراء مقابلات مع عينة تمثل المواطنين القطريين و الوافدين أصحاب المهن المكتبية. بشكل عام، تم عقد 2163 مقابلة، منها1058))مع المواطنين القطريين و(1105) مع الوافدين من أصحاب المهن المكتبية. تم اختيار المواطنين القطريين و الوافدين أصحاب المهن المكتبية من أسر من جميع البلديات في دولة قطر وتم إجراء مقابلات شخصية باللغة العربية أو الإنجليزية اعتمادا على برنامج استخدام الحاسب. يوجد مزيد من التفاصيل عن منهجية البحث في القسم السابع. ملاحظة: تشير كلمة الوافدون/الوافدين في التقرير إلى أفراد العينة من غير القطريين والذين تم وصفهم في موجز المنهجية بأصحاب المهن المكتبية

Identifying service product features associated with visitor satisfaction and revisit intention: A focus on sports events

To date, it remains very challenging for managers to combine different features of sports events into compelling product/service offerings that meet visitors\u27 expectations. Yet, there is a scarcity of research that demonstrates how sport event managers can overcome this challenge, thereby leaving a gap in the sporting event literature. To fill part of this gap, this study used an in-depth bibliographic review to identify features commonly associated with product/service offerings at sports events and then used those features to create a new measuring instrument to examine different service offering scenarios. In this respect, seven key features were combined into 19 service offering scenarios. A total of 2229 responses were collected through structured questionnaires at six sports events in Taiwan. Then, this study used the collected responses to explore the associations amongst the 19 service offering scenarios, visitor satisfaction, and revisit intention using multiple regression equations. After examining the suitability of the models, the best fit models were then depicted with path analysis graphs for comparisons and contrasts. The findings of this study provide important insights on how sporting event marketers or destination managers can combine different product/service characteristics to build a set of product/service offering scenarios and then test the product/service offering scenarios that best meet visitors\u27 expectations and also increase visitors’ satisfaction level and their intention to come back

Segmenting the Business Traveler based on Emotions, Satisfaction, and Behavioral Intention

As travel is part of their work, business travelers are assumed to be focused on carrying out a work related task, rather than feeling emotionally stimulated during their trip. Due to this belief, there is limited research on consumer emotions within this segment of the travel market. However, not only is business travel an experience and therefore it involves emotions, but many business trips have a strong leisure component and business travel decision-making is often emotionally charged. This paper segments the business travel market based on emotions, satisfaction and behavioral intention. Using a sample of 400 managers in small-medium-size companies, the study demonstrates that the relationship between emotions and satisfaction is not uni-directional as far as business tourism is concerned. For two of the four segments, the valence of emotions translated into an opposite level of satisfaction/intention. The segments were found to differ in personal and trip-related variables

Score a goal for climate: Assessing the carbon footprint of travel patterns of the English Premier League clubs

Football is the most popular sport, globally and in the United Kingdom. However it generates a range of negative environmental impacts, such as climate change, due to an extensive amount of travel involved. The growing contribution of football clubs to the global carbon footprint has been recognised, but never consistently assessed. This study assesses the carbon footprint of the English Premier League (EPL)clubs, using the patterns of their domestic travel in the 2016/2017 season as a proxy for analysis. The study shows that, within the 2016/17 season, the EPL clubs produced circa 1134 tonnes of CO 2- eq. as a result of their travel, where transportation accounts for 61% of the carbon footprint. To reduce this carbon footprint, a careful review of the current corporate travel and procurement practices in the EPL clubs is necessary. This is in order to optimise the travel itineraries, prioritise more climate-benign modes of transport and contract budget accommodation providers with the ‘green’ credentials

Evaluating the London 2012 Games’ impact on sport participation in a non-hosting region: a practical application of realist evaluation

In the literature on Olympic legacies and impacts, there is a dearth of materials that specifically address the issue of Olympic impact for non-hosting regions. The literature tends to deal with impacts at a national level, or at a hosting-city region level, neglecting in large part the degree to which benefits can be leveraged by non-hosting regions. A further limitation identified in the literature is a failure to engage in detailed formal evaluation of policy implementation where assertions of potential policy impact are based on untested assumptions. This study is intended to address both of these concerns. It presents an empirical, ‘bottom-up’ application of a Realist Evaluation framework to assess the impact of a policy initiative – Workplace Challenge – aimed at leveraging enhanced sports participation in a non-hosting region – Leicestershire – in the period leading up to the 2012 Games. In doing so, it seeks to identify which causal mechanisms worked within this particular context to produce the observed outcomes. The evaluation results demonstrate that the programme represented a positive approach to fostering regular engagement with sport and physical activities for some groups in some types of organisations, and that awareness and motivational factors associated with the London 2012 Games are, in this case, linked (albeit weakly) to an increase in sport and physical activity participation for specific groups taking part in the programme in particular organisational contexts

PROMISING THE DREAM: changing destination image of London through the effect of website place

Drawing on theories of place identity and social identity, this study aims to fill a gap in place identity studies regarding the effect of a place website on the destination image of customers/visitors/tourists. The research addresses three questions: (1) what are the main impacts of tourists’ attitude on place identity and the place website, (2) what are the factors that influence destination image, and (3) what are the main impacts of a favorable destination image? The favorability of a destination image is reflected by the extent to which visitors positively regard that place website. Results reveal the importance of the destination image in enhancing the intention to revisit and recommend. Also, visitors’ satisfaction impacts on their intention to revisit and recommend the place. Significant implications for place managers and researchers are highlighted