Abstract
The aim of this study is to examine the impacts of sports events on New Zealand inbound tourism. Mega-sports events are an instrument of destination marketing for host countries. New Zealand has held some mega-sports events. Some past studies have examined the economic value of sports events in NZ. However, little research has been undertaken to analyse the relationship between inbound tourism and mega-sports events. In this study, I examined the impact of mega-sports events on inbound tourism in NZ, in particular, the impact on inbound tourism of eight mega-sports events. For each of the eight mega-sports events, I tested whether these events had a significant influence on tourist arrivals in NZ from: 1. all countries 2. participating countries 3. non-participating countries. The results suggested that some events had a significant positive impact on inbound tourism.
