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

Field of Dreams: Sponsorship Opportunities in Sport Tourism

The perceived short- and long-term economic benefits of the World Cup, Olympic Games, Super Bowl, and the like have led businesses to develop joint bids with governmental units in effort to host such events. Increased competition has also created a need for businesses to find ways to differentiate their products in the market place, reach and influence new markets, and to get more return for their promotional dollars. For some, sport sponsorship has become an effective marketing strategy. This article describes the extent of sport tourism event sponsorship, why and how sponsorships are obtained, and issues involving sport sponsorship, including over-commercialization of sport, and tobacco sponsorships

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

Segmentation of the Visiting Friends and Relatives Travel Market

The visiting friends and relatives (VFR) travel market is a significant segment of the tourism industry, accounting for 76% of all trips to Illinois in 1991. This study determined the demographic, geographic, and psychographic characteristics and the benefits sought by those visiting friends and relatives in a Central Illinois Community. A self-administered questionnaire was sent to a systematic random sample of 660 inquirers to the local Convention and Visitors Bureau. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the following: (a) mode of transportation; (b) number of trips and length of stay; (c) demographic profile; (d) economic impact; and (e) impact of local university. The results of the study defined three VFR travel market segments, two of which closely resembled market segments profiled by Plog

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

Winning at all cost? Sport tourism financing by United States state and local governments

Sport wird einerseits wie jede andere Tätigkeit in der Gesellschaft mit öffentlichen Abgabelasten beschwert, andererseits im Vergleich zu ähnlichen Tätigkeiten steuerlich geschont und sogar öffentlich unterstützt. Diese Ambivalenz der steuerlichen Behandlung des Sports hat wiederholt Fragen nach der öffentlichen Finanzierung des Sportes aufgeworfen: Inwieweit sind Leistungen der öffentlichen Hände gerechtfertigt, inwieweit lösen Sportveranstaltungen den Tatbestand der Besteuerung aus? Dieser von Hans-Peter Büch, Wolfgang Maennig und Hans-Jürgen Schulke herausgegebene Band versucht, unter dem Motto „Science meets Practice“ ausgewählte Fragestellungen zu dieser Problematik aus wissenschaftlicher und sportpolitischer Sicht zu beantworten.On the one hand, sport like any other activity in society is burdened with public taxes, and on the other hand, in comparison to similar activities, is tax-free and even publicly supported. This ambivalence of tax treatment of sport has repeatedly raised questions about the public financing of sport: To what extent are services provided by the public sector justified, and to what extent do sporting events trigger taxation? This volume, edited by Hans-Peter Büch, Wolfgang Maennig and Hans-Jürgen Schulke, attempts to answer selected questions on this problem from a scientific and sports-political point of view under the motto "Science meets Practice"

Groundwater Flow andWater Quality – A Flowpath Study in the SeminoleWell Field, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

In Iowa, alluvial aquifers near major rivers are a source of water for many communities. The City of Cedar Rapids withdraws water from wells completed in the Cedar River alluvium, a shallow alluvial aquifer adjacent to the Cedar River. The City of Cedar Rapids is located within Linn County in east-central Iowa, and water for the City is supplied by four well fields (East, Northwest, Seminole, and West well fields) along the Cedar River. The City has a population of about 121,000, and several large industries are major water users. Currently, per capita water usage in the City is nearly three times the national average. The City is committed to providing both a high quality and quantity of water to its customers. The USGS and Cedar Rapids Water Department have been working together in an ongoing research program to better understand water quality and flow in the Cedar River and alluvial well fields. Work has been done on both a basin and well-field approach and has involved dye tracing/time-of-travel studies on the Cedar River, water-quality sampling, geochemical modeling, and groundwater-flow modeling

Larvae of an invasive scarab increase greenhouse gas emissions from soils and recruit gut mycobiota involved in C and N transformations

BackgroundSoil-derived prokaryotic gut communities of the Japanese beetle Popillia japonica Newman (JB) larval gut include heterotrophic, ammonia-oxidizing, and methanogenic microbes potentially capable of promoting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, no research has directly explored GHG emissions or the eukaryotic microbiota associated with the larval gut of this invasive species. In particular, fungi are frequently associated with the insect gut where they produce digestive enzymes and aid in nutrient acquisition. Using a series of laboratory and field experiments, this study aimed to (1) assess the impact of JB larvae on soil GHG emissions; (2) characterize gut mycobiota associated with these larvae; and (3) examine how soil biological and physicochemical characteristics influence variation in both GHG emissions and the composition of larval gut mycobiota.MethodsManipulative laboratory experiments consisted of microcosms containing increasing densities of JB larvae alone or in clean (uninfested) soil. Field experiments included 10 locations across Indiana and Wisconsin where gas samples from soils, as well as JB and their associated soil were collected to analyze soil GHG emissions, and mycobiota (ITS survey), respectively.ResultsIn laboratory trials, emission rates of CO2, CH4, and N2O from infested soil were ≥ 6.3× higher per larva than emissions from JB larvae alone whereas CO2 emission rates from soils previously infested by JB larvae were 1.3× higher than emissions from JB larvae alone. In the field, JB larval density was a significant predictor of CO2 emissions from infested soils, and both CO2 and CH4 emissions were higher in previously infested soils. We found that geographic location had the greatest influence on variation in larval gut mycobiota, although the effects of compartment (i.e., soil, midgut and hindgut) were also significant. There was substantial overlap in the composition and prevalence of the core fungal mycobiota across compartments with prominent fungal taxa being associated with cellulose degradation and prokaryotic methane production/consumption. Soil physicochemical characteristics such as organic matter, cation exchange capacity, sand, and water holding capacity, were also correlated with both soil GHG emission, and fungal a-diversity within the JB larval gut. Conclusions: Results indicate JB larvae promote GHG emissions from the soil directly through metabolic activities, and indirectly by creating soil conditions that favor GHG-associated microbial activity. Fungal communities associated with the JB larval gut are primarily influenced by adaptation to local soils, with many prominent members of that consortium potentially contributing to C and N transformations capable of influencing GHG emissions from infested soil

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