An Empirical Assessment of Sport Tourism- Potentials, Barriers and Prospects: The Case of North Cyprus Shaghayegh Karamy Submitted to the Institute of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Tourism Management Eastern Mediterranean University January 2019 Gazimağusa, North Cyprus Approval of the Institute of Graduate Studies and Research Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ali Hakan Ulusoy Acting Director I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science in Tourism Management. Prof. Dr. Hasan Kılıç Dean, Faculty of Tourism We certify that we have read this thesis and that in our opinion it is fully adequate in scope and quality as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science in Tourism Management. Prof. Dr. Habib Alipour Supervisor Examining Committee 1. Prof. Dr. Habib Alipour 2. Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Araslı 3. Asst. Prof. Dr. Amir Khadem ABSTRACT This study aims to investigate and explore the present processes, potentials, barriers and organizations of sport tourism in Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) in order to provide a clear policy guideline to the tourism operators and practitioners as well as to the decision makers. Furthermore, this study aims to achieve exploring the deficiencies that might have hampered the development and planning for sport tourism. Sport Tourism is one of the popular forms of Tourism Industry that motivate so many tourists to go to a destination. Sport Tourism in its Hard or soft categories are able to attract millions of tourists from hundreds of different countries to travel and participate in sporting events. This form of tourism has the potential to have positive impact economically and socially. However, sport tourism requires infrastructural consideration and certain technological preparation with specific land use issues. This study assumes that potentials to establish this form of tourism exists; however, the infrastructure for and commitment to this highly suitable tourism is not in place. An examination of planning process of sport tourism with respect to scale, scope, resource protection, product development and institutional responsibilities will be other aims. A qualitative data analysis will be performed to collect data and result for this paper. This study will be also a pathway to provide guidelines how to market and locate sponsors for sport tourism as an entrepreneurial initiative. Keywords: Niche tourism, Sport tourism, Tourism planning, North Cyprus iii ÖZ Bu çalışma, turizm operatörlerine ve uygulayıcılara ve karar vericilere açık bir politika rehberi sağlamak için, Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti'nde (KKTC) mevcut süreçleri, potansiyelleri, engelleri ve spor turizmi organizasyonlarını araştırmayı ve incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Ayrıca, bu çalışma spor turizmi için gelişim ve planlamayı engellemiş olabilecek eksiklikleri keşfetmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Spor Turizmi, birçok turisti bir ülkeye gitmeye teşvik eden popüler Turizm Endüstrisi formlarından biridir. Sert veya yumuşak kategorilerdeki Spor Turizmi, yüzlerce farklı ülkeden milyonlarca turisti seyahat etmek ve spor etkinliklerine katılmak için çekebilir. Bu turizmin ekonomik ve sosyal olarak olumlu bir etkisi olma potansiyeli vardır. Bununla birlikte, spor turizmi altyapısal değerlendirmeyi ve özel arazi kullanım konularında bazı teknolojik hazırlıklar gerektirir. Bu çalışma, bu tür turizmi tesis etme potansiyellerinin bulunduğunu varsayar; ancak, bu son derece uygun turizmin altyapısı ve bu konuda bir kararlılık mevcut değil. Spor turizminin planlama sürecinin ölçeği, kapsamı, kaynakların korunması, ürün geliştirme ve kurumsal sorumluluklar açısından incelenmesi diğer amaçlar olacaktır. Bu makale için veri toplamak ve sonuç elde etmek için nitel veri analizi yapılacaktır. Bu çalışma aynı zamanda girişimci bir inisiyatif olarak spor turizmi için sponsorların nasıl saptanacağına ve nasıl pazarlanacağına dair rehberlik sağlama yolu olacaktır. Anahtar Kelimeler: Niş turizmi, Spor turizmi, Turizm planlaması, Kuzey Kıbrıs iv DEDICATION This Thesis is dedicated to my family and my loved ones, especially to my Father. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to thank my thesis advisor, Prof. Dr. Habib Alipour of the Faculty of Tourism at Eastern Mediterranean University for his patience, motivation, enthusiasm, and immense knowledge. His guidance helped me in all the time of research and writing of this study. Besides my advisor, I would like to thank my lovely mother and sister who always support me from distance. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ABTRACT .................................................................................................................. iii ÖZ ............................................................................................................................... iv DEDICATION ............................................................................................................. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .......................................................................................... vi LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................... x 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 1 2 LITERATURE REVIEW.......................................................................................... 4 2.1 Tourism: An Overview ....................................................................................... 4 2.2 Impacts ............................................................................................................... 7 2.2.1 Environmental Impacts ................................................................................ 8 2.2.2 The Political Impact of Tourism .................................................................. 8 2.2.3 The Economic Impact of Tourism ............................................................... 9 2.2.4 The Social and Cultural Impacts ................................................................ 10 2.3 Types of Tourism ............................................................................................. 11 2.3.1 Cultural Tourism ........................................................................................ 15 2.3.2 Historical and Artistic Tourism ................................................................. 15 2.3.3 Religious Tourism...................................................................................... 15 2.3.4 Business Tourism ....................................................................................... 16 2.4 Future of Tourism ............................................................................................. 16 2.4.1 Tourism in Developing Countries.............................................................. 20 2.4.2 Tourism in Developed Countries ............................................................... 21 3 SPORT TOURISM ................................................................................................. 22 3.1 Sport Tourism: Historical Background ............................................................ 22 vii 3.2 Sport Tourism: As an Alternative Tourism ...................................................... 27 3.2.1 Soft Sport Tourism vs. Hard Sport Tourism .............................................. 31 3.2.2 Sport Event Tourism .................................................................................. 32 3.2.3 Nostalgia Sport Tourism ............................................................................ 33 3.2.4 Active Sport Tourism................................................................................. 33 3.2.5 Technology and Sport Tourism ................................................................. 34 3.2.6 Sports Tourists ........................................................................................... 34 3.2.7 A Sport Tourism Model as Alternative Model .......................................... 35 3.2.8 Sport Tourism: Pros and Cons ................................................................... 36 3.2.9 Sport Tourism and Economic Impacts....................................................... 37 3.2.10 Sport Tourism and Socio-Cultural Impacts ............................................. 38 3.2.11 Sport Tourism and Environment Impacts ................................................ 39 3.3 Sport Tourism: Pros and Cons .......................................................................... 39 3.3.1 Advantages of Sport Tourism .................................................................... 39 3.3.2 Reasons and Economic Requirements ....................................................... 42 3.3.3 Innovations in the World of Technology ................................................... 42 3.3.4 Change in Attitudes and Values................................................................. 43 3.4 Issues and Challenges ....................................................................................... 43 3.5 Cases and Examples ......................................................................................... 47 4 THE CASE OF NORTH CYPRUS ........................................................................ 53 4.1 Country Study: Introduce North Cyprus .......................................................... 53 4.2 Economy ........................................................................................................... 56 4.3 Geography .......................................................................................................