Winter Olympics must link sports, industry and tourism

When Pyeongchang was selected to host the 2018 Winter Olympics, International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge said, The Korean project will leave a tremendous legacy as Pyeongchang will be a new winter sports hub in Asia.

His comment expressed his support for the declaration of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics Bid Committee with a slogan of New Horizons. The idea is for Pyeongchang to form a new market for winter sports in Asia, which accounts for 60 percent of the global population, by becoming a winter sports hub.

Hosting a Winter Olympics does not necessarily mean the city turns into an Asian hub of winter sports. Japan, which has hosted two Winter Olympics, is a case in point. The 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, following the 1972 Sapporo Olympics, is a classic example of a failed Winter Games, not to mention a hub of Asia.

Need more than sports

According to the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute, The New York Times covered as many stories on China`s industries and tourist resources for three months before and after the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics as well on athletes and sporting events.

Park Gyeong-yeol, a researcher at Korea Culture and Tourism Institute, said, Regional industries are more important than sporting contents including stadium facilities, whether it is a Summer or Winter Olympics.

The world will focus on the host city during the event but not after the event is over. In other words, regional industries must be highlighted during the event when the world pays attention to it so that the region can continue to attract foreign tourists after the event.

Mega events such as the World Cup or the Olympics can raise the number of foreign tourists an average of 500,000 to 600,000 in the year after such events. Seoul, however, is expected to benefit most from the events.

The institute said, Pyeongchang can continue to serve as an Asian hub of winter sports when the Olympics are over only if it links the event with regional industries including tourism resources, which is one of the competitive points of Gangwon Province (where Pyeongchang is located).

Seo Cheon-beom, a director at Korea Leisure Industry Institute, said, There are many ski resorts in Japan. Many facilities do not automatically become a hub with many visitors, adding, We should think of contents other than sports.

Encouraging contribution to the Dream Project

The annual Dream Project, which has been hosted by the government since 2004, helps Korea to gain recognition for its ability from Asian countries. The project invites youth from countries lacking snow and ice, including those in Southeast Asia, and helps them experience winter sports and provide systematic training.

For the past eight years, 947 people from 47 countries have participated in the program and four joined the Winter Olympics as athletes on behalf of their countries.Korea is considered a qualified hub of Asia since it has contributed to spreading and developing winter sports throughout the world via the program.

Source = donga