Abstract
This paper examines the impact of sports camps on the demand for accommodations in local cities in Japan. The research method is an analysis of the needs of visiting teams and the specific innovations and support of the government and accommodations. The case study is Abashiri City in eastern Hokkaido, where sports training camps are popular among elite athletes as the main clientele. In the 1980s, Abashiri City was concerned that the number of group travelers would decrease in the near future. In order to attract new demand for accommodations, Abashiri City began a policy of attracting sports training camps in 1988, pioneering this policy in Japan. In the early years, elite athletes in rugby and track and field visited Abashiri. The elite athletes in rugby and track and field demanded different services and support from Abashiri City and the accommodations than general tourists. These included training sites, guest rooms, meals, and transportation. Abashiri City and the accommodations cooperated to provide a high level of flexible services for the elite athletes. This has succeeded in raising the reputation of sports camps in Abashiri City and attracting new camps to the city. Consequently, Abashiri has become a Mecca for sports camps, particularly for elite athletes in rugby and track and field. Based on the above background, the findings of this paper are as follows: First, the sports camps have become repeat visitors to the city, and have increased the demand for accommodations. This has helped to sustain Abashiri’s tourism industry, which targets group travelers. Secondly, Abashiri City and its accommodations were able to create a high level of service to attract sports camps by involving the local community. Accommodations were able to create order-made services, rather than the manualized services that had been offered to group tourists until the 1980s. Previous studies have indicated that sports camps represent a supplemental demand in the management of accomodations in local cities. In contrast, it was an essential demand for accommodation in the Abashiri City.
