6 minute read
Evaluating Resident Sentiment to Inform the Development of Sports Tourism
BASED UPON A WHITE PAPER BY
JENNIFER STOLL, PHD, STS, SPORTS ETA ANDRIA GODFREY, LONGWOODS INTERNATIONAL TAMMY KOERTE, LONGWOODS INTERNATIONAL
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In 2019, the sports tourism industry created nearly 750,000 jobs and brought more than $100 billion in economic benefits to communities across the United States. But beyond traditional metrics, recent studies have found important, though harder to measure, benefits such as community pride, resident quality of life, and increased destination brand perception/awareness.
“Gauging the sentiment of the local populous toward sports events and tourism events in the local community is an important way to ensure an expanded and aligned value proposition back to the destination,” says Al Kidd, Sports ETA President and CEO.
Longwoods International launched the initial research related to resident sentiment toward tourism in 2018. The study found that by evaluating and tracking the perceptions of local stakeholders, policymakers are able to gather support for, and meaningfully develop tourism, that benefits the community at large. However, in many locations, the Covid pandemic halted the ability of destinations to adequately leverage resident sentiment of travel. According to Tourism Economics, sports-related travel, estimated at 180 million people in 2019, was projected to decrease $20 billion in sports-related direct spending in 2020 due to the pandemic. The wide disparity in guidelines, policies, and protocols across the country are creating difficulty for re-opening strategies within the industry. As the nation rebuilds from the economic downturn, the sports events and tourism industry must seek to galvanize strong partner and community relationships in order to return to normalcy as quickly, and safely, as possible.
The Longwoods International’s 2020 National Resident Sentiment study examined public perceptions of sports events and tourism from multiple angles, including positives and negatives of economic development, environmental impacts, “over-tourism,” and quality of life.
“What we have learned through our research over the past several years is that resident sentiment is a vital insight to fully inform both advocacy and planning for any type of development, including sports,” commented Amir Eylon, President and CEO of Longwoods International.
To conduct the study, a survey was completed by 4,000 adults across the four regions (Midwest, Northeast, South, and West) of the United States in July 2020. Respondents were asked to identify their level of support when it came to hosting and/or attending, participating in, or watching outdoor, youth, amateur, collegiate, and professional sporting events. The study also sought to assess respondents’ perceptions of event safety during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Data showed that residents in the Midwest and South are slightly more amenable to sporting events in their communities, which corresponds with previous research on sports tourism efforts. The study also found that these regions were more proactive and engaged in tourism endeavors at a higher rate than the rest of the country.
At the time of the study, less than a quarter of Americans indicated that they felt safe attending sporting events during the pandemic. Regional results were consistent though generational data varied widely. Respondents over the age of 55 did not feel as comfortable going to sporting events as their younger counterparts. Millennials emerged as the group that felt the most safe attending and participating in sporting events.
It is no secret that during the pandemic people felt a lost sense of community. But the study found that sports tourism organizations have a great opportunity to demonstrate how sporting events contribute to a community’s quality of life. As restrictions on travel, tourism, and sports are lifted, leveraging the role these events play in personal and community-driven well-being is paramount. The sports events and tourism industry should be a focal point in bringing communities together through camaraderie, community pride, and even volunteerism.
While Americans are supportive of sporting events, the findings of the study reveal that a significant portion of those surveyed gave a “neutral” response. This response presents an opportunity to educate and inform them, and the community at large, about the many benefits, economic and otherwise, that sporting events provide to their community. By contrast, if no effort is made to increase the level of support from the quarter of Americans with this neutral attitude, the likelihood of generating their support for sport tourism-related efforts could decrease.
GENERATIONAL DATA
32% 55% 58%
Older Americans were more likely to agree that sporting events had a positive impact on their local economy and quality of life. Generation Z (ages 18-23): 32% felt that youth and/or amateur events improved their quality of life. Boomers (ages 56-74): 55% felt that youth and/or amateur events improved their quality of life. Silent Generation (ages 75+): 58% felt that youth and/or amateur events improved their quality of life.
One of the groups with the lowest support for attending or participating in sporting events is Generation Z, who also reported the lowest support of economic and quality of life benefits of sports in their communities. Since many members of Generation Z do not have children, own their own homes, or operate businesses within their communities, it is not surprising that only a third (31%) of respondents in this age group agreed that sporting events positively affected their local economy.
But Gen Z is an important part of the sports events and tourism conversation moving forward and their support will be necessary to fund and develop projects related to the industry. Gen Z will shape decisions in their respective communities for years to come, so it is critical to bring them into the sports events and tourism conversation now.
The Longwoods study also examined sports sentiment by household composition, which offered an encouraging outlook. Households with children saw greater value in sporting events, and that support increased as their children grew older, the study found. But industry leaders should not just assume this trend will continue. Instead, industry leaders should focus on educating and creating participatory opportunities for households with children to sustainably grow the sports events and tourism industry.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to present significant challenges to sports events and tourism destinations, efforts must be made to diversify event offerings. At the time of the study, a majority of respondents to the study noted that they did not feel safe attending or participating in youth, amateur, collegiate, or professional sporting events. However, almost 20 percent more Americans did feel comfortable participating in hiking, biking, water sports, and other outdoor activities.
Although location and environmental conditions vary, communities across the United States have the unique opportunity to create new, or expand existing, outdoor events within their communities. Whether it is walking, running or bike trails, canoe/kayak events, golf tournaments, disc golf, or other activities that allow participants to be physically active with a greater degree of social distancing, industry practitioners should take advantage of the nation’s renewed interest in outdoor recreation. This finding dovetails into industry insights showing the continued growth of destination owned and operated events.
As the country emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic downturn, the sports events and tourism industry has an opportunity to help guide a safe, strong, and swift recovery and increase destination awareness, quality of life, and community pride within their local communities.
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