Sports And City Marketing In European Cities: Cultural Geography

In our increasingly global and commercial world, where once sport would only have been seen by a few thousand on the terraces it is now watched by many millions via satellite. This mass global audience is invited not only to watch the sporting event, but also to visit the city where it takes place. Such events may help promote the host city as a tourist destination and business location. City governors are becoming increasingly aware of the possibilities of using sport as an instrument of reaching objectives of urban management. This engaging book investigates the state of the art of sports and city marketing in five European cities: Rotterdam, Barcelona, Helsinki, Manchester and Turin. In each of these cities, the book examines how sports (accommodations, clubs and events) have been made an instrument of city marketing and how the cities have attempted to maximize their potential through sports and city marketing policies. A comparison of the findings highlights the merits or disadvantages of sports clusters and strategic co-operation in sports and city marketing.

Leo van den Berg is Professor of Regional Economics and Urban Development at the Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands. He is also Director of the European Institute for Comparative Urban Research (EURICUR) Erik Braun is senior researcher at the Department of Regional, Port and Transport Economics, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. He is a staff member of EURICUR Alexander H.J. Otgaar is PhD student at the Department of Regional, Port and Transport Economics of Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. He is also staff member of EURICUR