The Impact Of A Mega-Event On Host Region Awareness: A Longitudinal Study

TLDR

Hosting a major event exposes a region to both positive and negative impacts, and tourism stakeholders often aim to boost international awareness and image, which are assumed to strengthen long‑term competitiveness and tourism benefits. The study monitored the 1988 Calgary Olympic Winter Games over five years to assess its impact on international awareness and image of the host city. Annual data were gathered from 1986 to 1989 across 20 centers in the United States and Europe. The study found that the Calgary Games dramatically raised international awareness and reshaped the city’s image, but also revealed a rapid decline thereafter, suggesting that future host cities must plan to sustain visibility.

Abstract

A center or region which hosts a major event attracting global attention is affected in many positive and negative ways. From a tourism perspective, perhaps the major benefits sought by organizers are increased awareness and an enhanced imageforthe host region in the international marketplace. It is assumed that this increased awareness and enhanced image will, over the long term, provide a strongercompetitiveposition and greater benefits from tourism. The present research reports thefindings of a five year study to monitor and assess the extent to which one mega-event, the 1988 Calgary Olympic Winter Games, did impact on the international levels of awareness and the image of the host city. Data were collected annually from 1986 through 1989 in some 20 centers in the United States and Europe. The results indicate that, in this particular case, the event dramatically increased levels of awareness and substantially modified the image of the city of Calgary. However, there is also strong evidence that cities considering the staging ofsuch a mega-event must anticipate a significant rate of awareness and image decay, and take steps to counter it, if they wish to remain visible and competitive in the international marketplace.