Essay Structure
The essay describes the social impacts of hosting large scale international events on the local community. The presentation covers the structure of the essay and indicates the two main examples to be used to describe the social impacts. The essay will cover the following items; Introduction, Definition of events, Description of the social impact of events – in light of the summer Olympics and the Formula 1 in Saudi Arabia, Conclusion, and Sources.
Events Overview
There is no fixed definition of an event, given that it can be twisted to suit a given situation. Generally, an event is a one-time or rarely occurring event outside regular programs or activities of the funding or organising body. To the client or visitor, an event is an occasion for a leisure or socio-cultural experience out of the usual scope of choices or outside the daily experience.’ Events are classified based on their demand (media attention), tourist attraction as well as the impact they have on the host destination. Also their classification considers their magnitude and size.
Hallmark events and mega events are two main types of events. Hallmark events are major one-time or recurring events of limited duration, developed primarily to enhance the awareness, appeal and profitability of a tourism destination. Mega events are events that draw huge numbers of visitors and have for a long time been linked to image-making or developmental roles for the host destination. They are large-scale socio-cultural sporting events that have a mass admired appeal and worldwide importance.
Formula One
Formula One is a motor racing event. Saudi Arabia to host its inaugural edition of the race in Jeddah. It is set to be the fifth full night race on the Formula One calendar, following the Singapore, Bahrain, Sakhir and the Qatar Grands Prix.
Summer Olympics
The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Games of the Olympiad, are a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The Games were first held in 1896 in Athens, Greece, and were most recently the 2020 Summer Olympics held in 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) organises the Games and oversees the host city’s preparations. In each Olympic event, gold medals are awarded for first place, silver medals are awarded for second place, and bronze medals are awarded for third place; this tradition began in 1904.
References
Getz, D. (2018). Event tourism: definition, evolution, and research. Tourism Management, 29 (3): 403-428.
Levy, P. (2017). Iconic Events: Media, Politics, and Power In Retelling History, Lexicon Books, Lanham.
Ritchie, M.D. & Beliveau, D. (2020). Hallmark events: An evaluation of a strategic response to seasonality in the travel market. Journal of Travel Research, 13(2): 14-20.
Roche, M. (2020). Mega-Events, Olympic Games and the World Student Games 1991: Understanding the Impacts and Information Needs of Major Sports Events. 1-18 in the proceedings from the Major Sport Events Learning from Experience SPRIG Conference, UMIST Manchester, 1 May.