Olympic Gold!

I’ve blogged on Sports tourism before (“Sustain Sport, Sustain Tourism”) and mentioned some of the benefits of these international sporting attractions - marketing of countries, regions and cities as tourist destinations; to attract business and investment; or the use of events for economic, environmental and social regeneration and revitalization.

But there is no doubt in my mind that the “Olympic” brand is one of the oldest and most established sporting symbols in the world and is arguably the champion of all sporting events. Unfortunately, gone are the days of naked Greek athletes running around on Mount Olympus competing for wreathes, ribbons and to impress the goddess Nike. Well, maybe things haven’t changed that much…a Nike endorsement can catapult an athlete’s position to super-stardom… But, let’s get back on track… no pun intended.

The Olympic games can bring about tremendous benefits to the host country. And, this time around, unless you’re hiding under a big rock in the Himalayas, you know it’s in China. In 2007 3.2 million overseas tourists visited Beijing, up 12.6 per cent from 2006. Within this figure were 440,000 Americans, a rise of 19.4 per cent year-on-year. Even the traditional animosity from other Asian countries such as Japan, Korea and Taiwan has not stopped travelers from these areas flocking to Beijing to experience the Chinese culture pre-Olympic boom. Certainly, the Chinese began to reap the benefits of the Olympics torch even prior to the start of the games. However, It has been said “the Olympics are bringing fresh attention to China at a time when some investors might prefer to forget about it”. As a result, the Chinese have taken these games very seriously, investing approximately $40 billion in construction, which has generated over $13.2 billion in economic activity between the years of 2004 to 2008. As we've seen with China and will see with London, the real benefit of hosting the Olympic games is the regeneration of the area in which it is held. Ken Livingston, the current Mayor of London hopes that the 2012 games will transform East London, as massive new investment will create local jobs, improve skills and help get thousands of people into work. Additionally, it will create housing as there will be “9,000 high quality homes on the Olympic park site, plus 30,000 homes will be built in the surrounding area providing more affordable accommodation”. Keep in mind this is all before the official launch of the games, we haven't touched the tourist package as yet. But speaking of which, the Chinese government is expecting approximately 5 million foreign visitors and 120 million domestic tourists to Beijing for the duration of the games.

Viewer figures for the Beijing games are estimated to be 3.2 billion people, up from the then record breaking 203 million figures recorded for the 2004 Athens games. So it’s no wonder that top Olympic sponsors, the likes of Coca Cola, Kodak, Johnson & Johnson and Mc Donald’s, have spent an average of $1 billion to be associated with the event. In fact, the Olympic Partner Programme (TOP) created in 1985 claims the “Olympic Games are one of the most effective international marketing platforms in the world, reaching billions of people in over 200 countries and territories throughout the world”.

But, let’s focus on the real issue. How can the Caribbean benefit from the Olympic brand? I think it’s fair to say that we currently don’t have the facilities to host the games in the near future, even though I can think of many areas within our region that could benefit from a regeneration scheme. Could we perhaps become an official sponsor? Vancouver will be the spot for the 2010 Winter Olympic games and personally I think this would be a great fit for the “One Caribbean” brand. Imagine it…you’re a professional athlete, you’ve just won a medal in your chosen sport and you’ve been training intensely in sub-zero temperatures for months now. Why not celebrate and unwind with an all-expense paid trip to the Caribbean region? An athlete who has just won gold at the Olympics has enough disposable income to travel regularly and if they really enjoyed themselves maybe they’ll come back and bring friends next time. But that’s just the athletes, what about the general public watching the games? Well, because of the nature of the sports exhibited, I’m going to hazard a guess and say that the majority of the Winter Olympic viewers come from temperate and arctic climates. Don’t quote me; it’s just an assumption. But, surely these are the non-traditional markets that Allan Chastenet keeps talking about…Russia, Sweden, Ukraine, Poland China, Korea and even our regulars plan to make an appearance – USA, Canada, UK, Italy – the whole gang’s going to be there. So maybe we should go to. Ok, ok, it might be an expensive ticket – but maybe not. According to the Vancouver Winter Olympic games site, there are three sponsorship levels – National Partner, Official Supporter and Official Supplier. Current sponsors or suppliers include the likes of Wrigley’s Canada, who is “freshening-up” the 2010 games by supplying confectionary products. Couldn’t we supply our product too? I’m sure there’s scope for the “One Caribbean” brand, but it will probably require further investigation. But nothing sells a product faster than giving it away to the right individuals. I would know, I work in the media.