ABSTRACT
A key consideration for the examination of provision strategies is the unit of analysis. Sports tourism providers come in all shapes and sizes, from an independent cycle hire firm that provides cycles and suggested routes for day hire, to large tour operating conglomerates such as Thomsons and First Choice, for whom sport is an important part of much of their product, and who operate on an international basis. Obviously the strategies of these firms will vary considerably as a result of their size. In some places, for example the Thrace region of Greece (Vrondou, 1999), an area, city or region may be attempting to promote itself as a sports tourism destination. In these situations it is likely that there will be some public sector involvement from local or regional government. Again the unit of analysis is important, because the focus could either be on the destination as a whole, incorporating a range of both commercial and public sector organizations, or on the strategies of an individual provider. Strategies at the ‘destination’ level, while not unrelated to those of individual providers, are likely to take on a different form, particularly in relation to marketing and promotion (Weed, 2003d). A further consideration is the nature of provision as ongoing, or as a one-off occurrence like the Olympic Games. Much research exists (Bramwell, 1998a; 1998b; Collins, 1991; Getz, 2003) detailing the importance of capitalizing on major events in attracting pre-event tourists, and continuing to attract tourists after the event. However, these strategies for provision are very different to those employed by providers, such as Club Med, that offer an ‘ongoing’ product.
