Repeat visitation to a host destination post a sport mega-event: South Africa and the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ legacy

Abstract

This study seeks to investigate if international football tourists who attended the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ in South Africa had revisited since the country hosted the tournament. The study used a quantitative methodology to survey 391 football fans in France during the 2016 UEFA European Championship, using a spatially based systematic sampling technique. The key findings show that only a minority of the respondents had travelled to South Africa to spectate at the World Cup, while an overwhelming majority watched the tournament on television thus underscoring the role that sport mega-events play in showcasing the host destinations. Furthermore, the findings suggest that the 2010 mega-event led to repeat visits, albeit limited, to South Africa as well as to other African countries. More importantly, the majority of the respondents showed a willingness to travel to South Africa should it host future sport mega-events. These results imply that visitation to a host destination during a specific mega-event lead to sport tourists having intentions of repeat visitation within the context of attending another sport mega-event. The study provides empirical evidence of the repeat visitation legacy of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ and has wider applicability to sport mega-events legacy research and body of knowledge.