Wimbledon Tennis: Tourism Essay - Positive And Negative Impacts.

Tourism Event In Terms of Type of the Event

Discuss About The Tourism Management Of Wimbledon Tennis?

The report discusses about the tourism management of Wimbledon Tennis Championships. The beginning has a brief description of the event in terms of the type of the event. However, the event chosen for this particular purpose is Australian Open that is a major event. There is also discussion about the advantages and disadvantages of organizing such events. The positive impacts lie in the fact that it is a game for every human from every sphere of life. Then there is discussion about how the emergence of technology that is making the sport a real time experience for the people worldwide. The players also benefited through the technology as they can interact with their fans socially. The report also gives an overview of the negative influence of such events they problems to locals in the peak season in terms of stagnancy in traffic. The stakeholders for the events discussed along with the economic impact of the event in the Australian capital.  This is a notable fact that the Australian Open is one of the largest annual sports events in the Victoria calendar. Through the report, one can also see how the Tennis Championships of Australia is also having an impact on the community as a whole.

Wimbledon Tennis Championships is the most prestigious and oldest tennis tournament of the world. Earlier these tennis tournaments took place on the grass courts of the All England Wimbledon club. Wimbledon includes four Grand Slam tennis tournaments while the others being the US Open, French open and Australian open (Sell et.al 2014). However, 1988 saw a shift in the Australian open to the hard court therefore Wimbledon is the only major played in grass court. Here, the Wimbledon event spoken about is the Australian Open that is a major tennis tournament annually held in January during the last fortnight in Melbourne located in Australia. The venue however chosen is Melbourne Park that remained unchanged since 1988. The Australian Open first held in 1905. Thus, chronologically considered this is also the first among the four Grand slam tournament in the year. The Wimbledon event in Australia includes singles tournaments for women and men, championship events for the junior, mixed doubles tournaments for men and women and for legends. There are also events for wheelchair bound participants. The tournament however takes place on the two types of hard court surfaces used in the Melbourne Park, located in the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct.

The Positive and Negative Impacts of the Event

 The Tennis Championship in Australia has the highest record for attendance among the Grand Slam event (Loffing, Hagemann & Strauss 2012). The Australian Open is also one of the first Grand Slam events that initiated the concept of indoor play during extreme heat or wet weather in coordination with its three primary courts namely Hisense Arena, Rod Laver Area and the refurnished arena of the Margaret Court that has roof which are retractable. The courts have a capacity for 3000 attendants.  There have also been plans for building a stadium with a capacity to hold 5000 attendants.  However, the game follows a strict dress code for the Royal patronage and the competitors. The notable fact of the tournament is the absence of advertisements from sponsors in the court area.

However, as far as coverage goes Australian Open broadcasted globally through television and online by established broadcasters in the sports world. Thus in Australia, since 1973 the Australian open is broadcasted by the Seven Network. During the time of 2003 to 2009, the Australian Open co-broadcasted by Fox Sports. Traditionally, the most watched event of the Australian Open is the final event of the men’s single. The Asia-pacific has been however, broadcasting done through the Fox Sports.

Positive Impacts

Wimbledon Tennis Championship holds significance worldwide as it brings together people from every occupation. Thus, the game not only attracts celebrities, royalties and global sports stars but also the Australian people at large. The Wimbledon Tennis Championship follows a heritage that includes people from every sphere of life without following the heritage culture. The sports authority therefore strongly believes in the unifying power that sports offer. The game tries to appeal to the collective spirit and thus transcends gender, age and race and ensures everyone with a chance of participation (Knight&Holt 2013). Therefore, in a way the sport ensures a delightful experience to the team player and participant but also to the spectators. 

Thus, the spirit behind the success of the game is its inclusive spirit that has also been a reason for the inspiration of the next generation of players. Through this sport, the young generations inspired by the fact that achievement of goals is possible through hard work. This has resulted in a massive outcome both during and after event. 

The sport is more than just a two-week event as its preparations done throughout the year. In this context, one can say that the Wimbledon education department has opened its doors for welcoming thousands of students every year (Elliott & Drummond 2013). The students include the ones from the primary level to the university level who can learn more about the history of the tournament and about the sport. There is also a community project on Wimbledon launched to reach out to the local people about the various secrets happening behind the scenes and thereby capture their emotions.

Positive Impacts

The commencement of technology and the prevalence of social media have transformed the communication and staging process of the Australian Open. Through the cyber technology, the sport viewed on a real time basis by the rest of the world. Nowadays, additionally each player provided with accounts in various social media platforms along with a personal website to convey their whereabouts to the followers.

During the Wimbledon Tennis Championship there is been a rush of tourist that affects people in the local areas as traffic rush increases. Most of the tournaments last almost two weeks and attracts more than thousands of people from all over the world. Innumerable tourists also hugely affect the environment as they use it as a dumping ground for all their waste materials (Mahtani 2013). Thus, the council therefore carries out a cleaning spree through the collection of around five tones of waste dumped by waiting tourists.

The key Stakeholders of the events include (John, Stewart & McDonald 2013):

Australian Sports Commission (ASC): The commission focuses on driving more Australians for participation and excellence in the sport through the delivery of programs that aligns with the policy objectives of the Australian Government. The commission also provides financial aid and assistance to the various national sporting organizations to ensure participation and quality performance.  Additionally, at the same time the commission also stresses on improving the sustainability, capability and effectiveness of the organizations. The commission also marks the spread of effectiveness, alignment and collaboration amongst the sports sector of Australia.

Tennis Australia (TA): The Tennis Australia is aiming at making Australia the biggest tennis nation of the country. They not only create great championship but also responsible for creation of active players and devoted fan and at the same time make huge investments. Gradually Tennis Australia is become is gaining favoritism.

Tennis Victoria (TV): This body represents all the associations, centers, clubs, regions and members in Victoria. Thus, in fact it is the administrative body of tennis that is located centrally in Victoria and is  playing the role of managing , coordinating, promoting and unifying the varied facets that the sports has on offer.

Valley Sport: This regional non-profit sporting body came into being for opening up opportunities for active recreation and participation in the sport. The body mainly focuses on being a leader in the development of active and healthy communities.

Greater Shepparton City Council: The Goulburn region is among the 11 regions of Tennis Victoria that includes seven local areas of the Government and the volunteers, coaches, players, centers, clubs and associations connected with the places. Therefore, the Goulburn Tennis Network (GTN) plays a vital role in the growth of the game and the developmental activities of the associations and clubs. Thus, GTN considered as the tennis forum of the region that consist of single delegate from affiliated Tennis Victoria association and club of the region. They also work towards the promotion and coordination of tennis activities.

Negative Impacts

The major event calendar of Victoria is internationally recognized as the most successful and prestigious calendar of the world. This is because the Australian Open is not only the largest annual sports event played at the premium sporting grounds but also ensures certain contribution to the economy of Victoria by various means. The commencement of the tournament not only drives tourism but also generates jobs (Davies, Coleman & Ramchandani 2013). The events also provide assistance in development of the industry and create linkages in the business. Moreover, such events also influence investment decisions and ensure positive community outcomes.

These events are also enhancing interstate and overseas reputation particularly with the neighbors in the Asia Pacific region who are paying dividends through contribution of economic benefits to Melbourne and the state across. The profile of the major events of Victoria has put in under a global scale. Thus, Victoria has a generation of about $1.8 billion generated through the spending of approximately 300000 visitors from overseas and state who expresses the urge to be a part of the event.

Thus, Victoria known as the sporting capital of Australia with a record number of attendees that counted for 720,363 in 2016 that is higher than the record of 2015. In 2016, Australia Open Tournament, there were attendees of around 48% who came from outside. Out of these 48%, nine percent attendees came from regional Victoria, 26% attendees were interstate, and 13% were oversees. Therefore, during the Grand Slam there was an increase in the number of hotel booked with each visitor opting for 11 nights stay with an average daily spending of $181 each. Conducted survey showed tourist happily recommending others to visit Victoria. There were also some positive outcomes in the community when a record 15,543 numbers of people made their presence felt at the fourth annual Kids Tennis Day taking place at Rod Laver Arena where celebrity tennis players like Novak Djokovic, Caroline Wozniacki and Milas Raonic also makes their presence felt. On the other hand, the inaugural Australian Open taking place in Birrarung Marr had a whopping 250,374 number of attendees in the first two weeks. There were around 30,788 families attending the kid’s world of the Australian Open Festival.

Thus, the figures are a proof of the fact that there is no place like Melbourne for the execution of such events and there is no events in the world can match up to Australian Open Tournament. There is not only a drive of visitors from all over the world but is also leading the creation of more jobs and thereby a better economy. Thus,  minister of sports, major events and tourism, John Eren, said that there would be more investment in the sporting grounds so that Victoria not only continues to be the home for Australian Open in decades to come but also is included in the travel list of sports lovers across the world.

Conclusion:

The report draws in a conclusion by discussing the economic impacts of the event chosen. There is however a vivid discussion on how the tournament is affecting the economy in a positive manner and at the same time having a positive impact on the community. The positive impacts of the event discussed along with its negative impacts. Through the positive effects, one can see how Wimbledon is becoming a game for the masses. The negative impacts of the sport in terms of the hurdles in traffic to the local residents avoided through proper traffic management rules. The report also has a part discussing the stakeholders of the tournament and the event in terms of its type. However, the event chosen here is the Australian Open Tennis Tournament. Discussion therefore, focuses solely around this particular event.

References:

Davies, L., Coleman, R. & Ramchandani, G., 2013. Evaluating event economic impact: rigour versus reality?. International Journal of Event and Festival Management, 4(1), pp.31-42.

Elliott, S.K. & Drummond, M.J., 2013. A socio-cultural exploration of parental involvement in junior Australian Rules football. Asia-Pacific journal of health, sport and physical education, 4(1), pp.35-48.

John, A., Stewart, B. & McDonald, B., 2013. Mixed doubles: Political hegemony, urban entrepreneurialism and the Australian Open Tennis Championships. The International Journal of the History of Sport, 30(2), pp.162-178.

Knight, C.J. & Holt, N.L., 2013. Factors that influence parents’ experiences at junior tennis tournaments and suggestions for improvement. Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, 2(3), p.173.

Loffing, F., Hagemann, N. & Strauss, B., 2012. Left-handedness in professional and amateur tennis. PLoS One, 7(11), p.e49325.

Mahtani, K.R., Protheroe, J., Slight, S.P., Demarzo, M.M.P., Blakeman, T., Barton, C.A., Brijnath, B. & Roberts, N., 2013. Can the London 2012 Olympics ‘inspire a generation’to do more physical or sporting activities? An overview of systematic reviews. BMJ open, 3(1), p.e002058.

Sell, K., Hainline, B., Yorio, M. & Kovacs, M., 2014. Injury trend analysis from the US Open Tennis Championships between 1994 and 2009. Br J Sports Med, 48(7), pp.546-551.