Decisions…decisions: Should cities bring in major sporting events and build new infrastructure?

Abstract

Over the years, we have seen cities and countries bid to bring major sporting events into their region for a variety of reasons. This can include improving the brand perception of their location or bringing positive economic benefit through tourism and hospitality. Some have questioned the benefits of bringing in these events and building new infrastructure. This study finds no significant difference in the intention to recommend and revisit intention of participants when a city has newly built infrastructure or renovated infrastructure, which suggests municipalities should opt for the cheaper alternative. We do find that participants have higher intentions to recommend visiting a city and revisit intentions when the city hosts a major sporting event than when the city only offers a variety of entertainment opportunities. Additionally, we find that the relationship between the event type and revisit intention is mediated by cognitive destination image and intention to recommend.