Article ID: 2025-2
Since the 2000s, the global incidence of using sport-related heritage, a form of cultural heritage, as a tourism resource has increased. However, in Japan, research on heritage sport tourism has remained at the descriptive level, and there is a need to learn from overseas cases. This study aims to present a strategy for the promotion of heritage sport tourism in Flanders of Belgium, using the KOERS. Museum of Cycle Racing and the Sven Nys Cycling Center as a case study to utilize sport-related cultural heritage as a tourism resource. The efforts of both facilities realize the multi-dimensional sport participation promoted by the Japan Sports Agency, which in cludes “doing,” “seeing,” and “supporting.” The KOERS. Museum of Cycle Racing allows visitors to learn history through “seeing,” while the Sven Nys Cycling Center offers hands-on experiential programs emphasizing “doing.” Guided tours at the KOERS. Museum of Cycle Racing not only pass on cycling and regional history but also play a critical role in “supporting” cycling culture throughout the community. These facilities reflect the creation and nurturing of sport through facility management that respects history and tradition while adapting to societal changes and considering tourism demands and educational values. They also create spaces where people from diverse backgrounds can “gather,” engage together, and feel a sense of “connectedness,” fostering social connection through sport between residents and tourists. The Sven Nys Cycling Center further ensures that “everyone has access” by offering programs catering to participants from beginners to competitors, fostering an environment where all individuals can experience sport. Through these efforts, both facilities contribute to key elements of heritage sport tourism using cycling culture, such as 1) tangible immovable, 2) tangible movable, 3) intangible, and 4) goods and services, with a high potential for application in other regions.
