The Interaction Between Sports Events and Local Tourism – A Case Study of the 2022 Qatar World Cup

Abstract

The close relationship between major sporting events and tourism has become an essential driver of the global economy and culture. The mutually reinforcing relationship between sports events and tourism has been highlighted over the past few decades, with many countries actively bidding for sporting events to demonstrate their national power and receive investment to upgrade tourism and infrastructure. Major sporting events not only attract international and domestic tourists and raise the profile of the venue, but also contribute to the development and upgrading of infrastructure, bringing a short-term influx of tourists to the local tourism and service industries, as well as contributing to the future development of the tourism industry. Tourism also plays a vital role in bidding for and hosting events, and the development of tourism supports the better running of events, while a well-developed tourism industry also increases the number of spectators for sporting events. Using the 2022 World Cup in Qatar as a case study, this paper discusses explicitly the relationship between sporting events and local tourism and goes on to explore the mutually beneficial relationship between the two.