Major sporting events HOT TOPIC
PERFORMANCE I
t’s a promise organisers of major sporting events have made countless times over
the years. Whether it’s a Fifa World Cup, the Olympics or Rugby World Cup, host nations are regularly told that they will see a huge uplift in international passengers for the event and continue to do so long after the medals have been handed out. While the argument may often turn
the heads of politicians keen to improve their own and their nations’ reputations, airports and airlines can be more hard- nosed about such events, needing hard data to convince them. With the 2016 Olympics due to start
in August in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro, John Grant, a senior analyst for air travel intelligence company OAG, argues that when the facts are studied, much of what has been promised is as unlikely as an Olympic darts team. He says: “It clearly builds awareness,
and with awareness comes interest, and as a tourist board you hope that awareness drives tourists and new air services. “However, I suspect from a travel
perspective much of the noise and opportunity that is created quickly dies down.” Grant believes that despite the global
attention such events attract for any host city or country, it should be regarded as a blip, albeit a welcome one. He adds: “If you look at all the history of
these events that take place and you look at the underlying 10-year traffic growth, it is almost like the other side of the coin that you get to an incident like 9/11. “The market is impacted, but it bounces
back to the original growth curve pretty quickly. I’d struggle to find evidence that the hosts of the Olympics had led to a step change in the demand profile for that resort or destination.” He also believes that while the event
might have some positive effect on the destination, it is just one of many factors that will determine its airlift. The argument is clearly visible in the case
of Rio de Janeiro, where the forthcoming games have had little impact on the city’s worsening fortunes in air capacity. In 2016 alone, there has been a
7.5% drop in seat numbers to 33.6 million,w
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52