25-08-2017, 09:32 PM
The contribution of a mega-event to the sustainable development of South African tourism
ABSTRACT
The objectives of the study were to determine the relevance and the management of the drivers that
underlie the hosting of a mega-event aimed at promoting sustainable tourism development, in this case,
the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World CupTM that was held in South Africa
in 2010. A web-based survey was constructed and 217 international academic and industry experts
were invited to participate in a survey that was conducted six weeks prior to the commencement of the
World Cup and one that was conducted six weeks after the ending of the event. A 24% response rate
was received to the first survey and an 18% response rate to the second. Respondents regarded the
strategic drivers contained within the constructs of socio-cultural, economic and environmental as
relevant for the evaluation of the contribution of a mega-event to sustainable tourism development. In
addition, a fourth construct viz. a managerial construct was also deemed valid in this regard.
Performance related to this managerial construct indicated significant improvements against
anticipated outcomes in the areas of managerial capacity development, learning optimisation, media
management and achieved standards of safety and security.
INTRODUCTION
In 2010, South Africa, as a developing economy, hosted
the Fédération Internationale de Football Association
(FIFA) World CupTM. In its bid for the hosting of this
event, a strong developmental agenda was promoted,
intended to ensure that the event would positively impact
the lives of the majority of the population who had
previously been disadvantaged by the policies and
practices of apartheid (Cornellisen, 2007; Rogerson,
2009). The contribution of this mega-event to the process
of transformation in the country and, in particular, to the
development of small tourism enterprises was
emphasised (Rogerson, 2008). Under the ambit of
tourism, mega-events are broadly considered to be largescale
affairs marked by global publicity, substantial
international visitation and major economic, social and
environmental impacts (Jago et al., 2010).
Contribution of mega-events to sustainable
development
Lim and Lee (2006: 408) define mega-events as “events
so large that they affect the entire economies and
reverberate in the global media”. Earlier, Roche (1994: 1)
noted mega-events to be “short-term events with longterm
consequences”. Mega-events also provide an
international stage upon which host countries can showcase
themselves as future tourism destinations (Chung
and Woo, 2011; Majumdar, 2011). In this regard,
Dansero and Puttilli (2010: 321) note that mega-events
can afford great opportunities to host countries to leave
“both tangible and intangible legacies”.
While the hosting of mega-events in developing
economies is not a solution to all social and economic
problems, bidding for and hosting mega-events has
spawned fierce competition, driven by the numerous
tourism-related advantages for the host destination, many
of which can contribute to the sustainable development
(Clark, 2010). Such advantages include changed global
perceptions about the host destination, improved
infrastructure, support services and supply chain
management, increased accommodation capacity and
enhanced national pride (Baade et al., 2010; Tien et al.,
2011).
METHODOLOGY
The population comprised the 217 delegates from 35 countries who
attended the 2010 International Summit on Tourism, Sport and
Mega-events co-hosted by the UNWTO, the South African
Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, the University of
Johannesburg’s School of Tourism and Hospitality and the Christel
Dehaan Institute for Travel and Tourism Research at Nottingham
University, UK. Members of this population included senior
academics and tourism industry executives, from both the private
and public sectors, who were purposefully selected for their
expertise in this field (Veal, 2006). In this way, an attempt was
made to capture the perceptions of individuals familiar with megaevent
dynamics. All 217 members of the population were requested
to complete both a pre-World Cup and a post-World Cup on-line
survey conducted six weeks before and six weeks after the staging
of the 2010 World Cup. In this way an attempt was made to account
for a possible change in pre- and post-event perceptions regarding
the management of the drivers that influence the contribution of a
mega-event to sustainable tourism development. Fifty-two
respondents replied to the pre-World Cup survey, reflecting a 24%
response rate that included 25 senior academics and 27 executive
managers or chief executive officers, with 85% of the respondents
being South African. Forty responses were received for the post-
World Cup survey, an 18% response rate that included 16 senior
academics and 24 executive managers or chief executive officers,
of whom 70% were South African.
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The success in hosting a mega-event cannot be judged
only in monetary terms without consideration of the
values of the society in question (Lockstone and Baum,
2008) as well as the contribution that the event makes to
sustainable development. Successful mega-event
strategies vary according to the set of unique
circumstances influencing the developmental goals of the
host city or country. Hosting a mega-event requires
strategists to look deeply into the future of a country or
city in order to create the event vision and then to
contrast this vision against current realities. Examining
this gap enables event managers to plan how the event
will serve as a catalyst for improved infrastructure,
business opportunities and environmental innovations
from which ordinary citizens will continue to benefit. In
this regard, the findings of the present study serve to
inform organisers about drivers to consider when shaping
the mega-event as a central contributor to sustainable
development in tourism. In addition, the drivers contained
within each construct can provide an objective way of
evaluating the success of the event as well as any
management deficiencies that may have emerged.