Berlin - Global sporting events like the World Cup and the Olympics can be a powerful shot in the arm for tourism but the effects can vanish soon after the fans' cheers fall silent.
Industry experts at the Berlin tourism fair (ITB), one of the sector's largest gatherings, stressed Friday that there was no guarantee of a boost for the host country from a giant sporting event.
While European capitals such as Paris and Berlin weigh a possible bid for the 2024 Olympic Games, Rome has already thrown its hat in the ring with hopes of welcoming supporters from around the world to the Eternal City.
Meanwhile London after its 2012 Olympics extravaganza and previous football World Cup hosts Brazil and South Africa offer their own object lessons, presenting a decidedly mixed picture.
In South Africa, tourism "took a leap in 2010 and then it flattened a little bit after, but then from that higher basis, it continued growing," said Derek Hanekom, the country's tourism minister.
Estimates of the tourist influx generated by that year's World Cup range from 100,000 to 200,000, said Wolfgang Maennig of the University of Hamburg in northern Germany at an ITB conference on the subject.
However the explosion in flight and hotel prices linked to such events can have the opposite effect and drive away potential visitors.
Tom Rostek of travel company Dertour said championship organisers are often to blame for reserving blocks of hotel rooms, "up to 80 percent" in the case of the World Cup final in Rio de Janeiro in July.
In the end, they may not even be used but the practice serves to send prices for the remaining accommodations soaring, "potentially scaring people off", Rostek said.
The impact can be particularly acute in cities that were already popular as a tourist destination, especially if the event takes place during the high season.
London, for example, lost 350,000 overnight stays at the time of the 2012 Olympics compared to previous summers.
On the upside, however, the visitors in town for the Olympics spent much more than average tourists, Maennig said.
AFP
