Demand for Information among Tourists -Participants of Huge Sports Events: An Example of UEFA Euro 2012

Abstract

Appropriately sought and obtained information is of a strategic significance to all those
tourists that visit a destination. This problem is equally important to those people who
arrive to participate in a huge sports event. An overall satisfaction of tourists in their stay
may depend on the efficiency of obtaining information and satisfaction in this information,
which consequently translates into a potential decision concerning another arrival to a
destination. An attempt to assess the significance of information to the participants of a
huge sports event is the purpose of this article. An assessment and an analysis of the
problem was made based on the UEFA EURO 2012 European Football Championship in
Poland and in the Ukraine. The research was carried out in Gdansk, i.e. in one of the four
cities-organizers of this event in Poland. The research covered a total of 786 people
representing 19 countries including 13 European countries and 6 non-European countries
(China, the United States, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Armenia, Canada). In terms of the value of
this study, those people for whom their participation in the European Football
Championship UEFA EURO 2012 was the primary purpose, were of a particular
significance. It became evident that among the group covered by the research (N=786), a
decided majority (N=565, 71.9%) came to Gdansk for this very purpose. The remaining
people (N=221) arrived for some other purposes, i.e. typical tourism (N=113), visits to
relatives and friends (N=35), business trips (N=31) and other purposes (N=42). Thereby,
those people (N= 565), for whom participation in the UEFA EURO 2012 was the primary
objective of their arrival constituted the most essential research sample for the needs of
this study. Based on the information obtained, a diversification was presented of the
opinions provided by the participants of the event under research as compared with other
visitors to Gdansk. The research demonstrated the significance of information to these
visitors. The sources to searching for information, including the Internet, were indicated.
Satisfaction with the information obtained was also assessed high: it was higher than
among other tourists. It is particularly important because for the majority of those football
fans who arrived to participate in the event, this was their first visit to Gdansk (and to
Poland in general). The data obtained may serve as guidelines to respective destination
management organizations. They should indicate potential directions of activities in the
scope of marketing and, in particular, in the creation and improvement process of the
system of tourist information. This is possible owing to the data concerning the scope of
information sought or the level of satisfaction in this information. This may indicate
potential activities that facilitate tourist information.