Local Residents Perceptions of the Impacts of Hosting National and International Sporting Events

Abstract

In this study, it was aimed to determine the perceptions of local residents for national and international sports events. Study was conducted in Alanya which is home to many sports events each year. As a result of analyses, it was determined that the deception of local residents for national and international sports events held at Alanya under eight aspects. These aspects were entitled as “Economical Contribution”, “Sports Culture Imbuing”, “ Traffic Congestion Problems”, “Promotion Instrument and Increasing Brand Value”, “Environmental Harms”, “Social Interaction”, “Infrastructure Development and Bringing Sportive Investment” and “Financial Burden and Underused Capacity Problem”. Within the findings of the study, it was determined that large majority of the participants, even though partially, have information related to the sports events held at Alanya, whereas a lesser part of them attend to the sports events held at Alanya regularly or frequently. In addition to this, it was determined that the participants have a perception that the sports events held at Alanya are imbuing sports culture to local residents, causing traffic congestion problems, increasing the brand value of the destination and procuring social interaction whereas partially providing economical contribution, partially harming the environment, partially developing the infrastructure and bringing sportive investment, partially bringing financial burden to destination and partially causing underused capacity problem.