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Sport Event Tourism in Bucharest. UEFA EURO 2020 Case Study

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  • Ana-Irina Lequeux-Dincă

    (Faculty of Geography, University of Bucharest, 1. Blv. Nicolae Bălcescu, 010041 Bucharest, Romania)

  • Amira-Andreea Sava

    (Faculty of Geography, University of Bucharest, 1. Blv. Nicolae Bălcescu, 010041 Bucharest, Romania)

  • Camelia Teodorescu

    (Faculty of Geography, University of Bucharest, 1. Blv. Nicolae Bălcescu, 010041 Bucharest, Romania)

  • Aurel Gheorghilaş

    (Faculty of Geography, University of Bucharest, 1. Blv. Nicolae Bălcescu, 010041 Bucharest, Romania)

  • Mioara Clius

    (Faculty of Geography, University of Bucharest, 1. Blv. Nicolae Bălcescu, 010041 Bucharest, Romania)

Abstract

Mega sport events were among the very few types of events still attracting tourists during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and represented an exceptionally attractive tourism opportunity for Bucharest through the matches scheduled for the UEFA 2020 championship. Motivated by the novelty of the event which was organized for the first time in the Romanian capital city and motivated by the exceptionally restrictive context imposed by the sanitary crisis, the aim of this study was to analyze domestic tourist participation in and satisfaction with this event. An extended survey focusing on the autochthonous participants was applied to gather data and then further computed using SPSS software through crosstabulations and associated statistical analysis adapted for nominal and ordinal variables. The main results emphasize a large participation of Romanian football supporters who came specifically for the event. Most of them expressed dissatisfaction with souvenir, food and drink products sold within the stadium area but were satisfied with the COVID-19 measures and their costs. Supporters coming from rural areas opted for VFR accommodations while retirees and elderly supporters preferred hotels. Occupation and age were the main variables determining accommodation preferences as well as satisfaction with souvenir prices. These options may be valuable input for future adapted marketing strategies for sport event tourism in Romania. Lacking important urban tourist attractions and competing with other mature European urban destinations, mega sport events may represent an opportunity for autochthonous large cities to increase tourist attractiveness and maintain leisure travel even during periods of travel restrictions.

Suggested Citation

  • Ana-Irina Lequeux-Dincă & Amira-Andreea Sava & Camelia Teodorescu & Aurel Gheorghilaş & Mioara Clius, 2022. "Sport Event Tourism in Bucharest. UEFA EURO 2020 Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-29, November.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:21:p:14543-:d:964130
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