Bundling sport events with the host destination

Abstract

An emerging challenge in sport event tourism is to incorporate events more strategically into the host destination's overall mix of tourism products and services. An effective means is to bundle event elements with the host destination's attractions using a mixed bundling strategy. Appropriate event elements include activities that support the subculture of the sport, as well as complementary cultural events. Appropriate destination attractions include sightseeing, visits to destination‐specific attractions, opportunities to shop, and activities consistent with the values or interests of the sport subculture. The potential for bundling sport event elements with the host destination's attractions is illustrated for eight bundle components and two destination features at the Gold Coast Marathon. Conjoint analysis followed by clustering identified four distinct market segments among a sample of 277 distance runners from two large domestic source markets. On the basis of cluster profiles, the segments were labeled: dedicated runners, running tourists, active runners, and runners who shop. Some host destination attractions were attractive to all but the dedicated runner segment. However, different segments were attracted to different attractions. It is argued that further work is needed to elaborate optimal procedures for bundling sport event elements with activities and attractions at host destinations.