User talk:Hiyoshoko

1.	Which category of sports tourism will the event fit into?
The Barclays Golf Singapore Open will be classified as a sports tourism event. It invites, attracts successful players and spectators from all over the world. It is held at the Singapore Sentosa Golf Club, which is one of Asia’s most prestigious courses. Spectators from all over the world come especially to Singapore to witness the games, qualifying rounds as well as the famous players.

2.	Level of participation and participants statistics
Active tourist:

As a full field event of 156 players, the Barclays Singapore Open will comprise 65 players each from the Asian Tour and European Tour with a further 10 places available through a local qualifying competition. There will be nine sponsor invites, plus four amateurs and three Singaporean professionals.

3.	Who are the sports tourists participating in the event and their underlying motivations/passions? Demographics on age group, occupation, gender, demands, needs etc.
The sports tourists who are participating in the Barclays are golf enthusiasts. Demographics: age group from 25 to 70, high income, both male and female.

Categories of tourists in golf tourism:

1.	Golf buddies – these are usually groups looking for a medium priced break that combines good golf with good socialising. They seeking a lively location which offering good golf facilities together with a number of quality courses within close proximity that are suitable for a range of skill levels.

2.	Luxury golfers – serious golfers who want to play a number of signature courses, and who also require luxury accommodation and restaurants. They seek an exceptional experience which is golf centred, taking in a number of signature courses. However, they also have a strong requirement for a sophisticated and luxury all round experience.

3.	Golfing tourists – for these holiday-makers golf is only part of a more leisurely break that will include sight-seeing, touring. This category of golfer is much more likely to include couples and families. They look for accessible, less challenging courses which offer good value.

4.	Golf purists – these are highly competitive golfers who are solely concerned with the quality of the golf. They are seeking new and exhilarating golf challenges through playing top quality courses.

4.	Impact of the event including any discernable trends that you can identify.
Economic

As sports events are getting more and more popular worldwide, exclusive sports such as golf are being brought into Singapore. This trend has helped Singapore to attract passive and active sports tourists- both the spectators and the participants. Tourism receipts are high. Tickets of Singapore Open range from S$20 to S$50. This is affordable and appealing to the golf enthusiasts. Early bird specials are also available. Singapore is the last stop for the finale; everyone wants to see who the champion will be. At the same time, competitors also come to Singapore to compete. All these tourist arrivals boost tourism revenue of Singapore. Barclay’s sponsorship towards this grand opening will make Singapore as the central hub for tourists to gather. As the event is held at Sentosa Golf club, Sentosa can gain more recognition. With the increasing number of people coming to play golf in the future, employment rate will rise in the hospitality and F&B sectors whereby service staff is needed. With this event, foreign investments will rise and these help to create social, cultural bonding as well as trust between Singapore and the other countries.

Environmental

As large crowds gather around the golf course, the constant stepping on the course hinders the growth and healthiness of the grass. A lot more fertilizers and biocides have to be used to maintain the greenery of the golf course. These man-made chemicals are not environmentally friendly and they contiminate both the air and water. As Barclay Singapore open strives to increase participant level, it also meant that more waste will be created. Littering could be rampant if there were no proper regulations to control the public from littering. If golf becomes a main source of sports tourism, more golf courses would be developed in Singapore. As Singapore already faces land shortage, going into this area might not be feasible. We can only make use of what we have. Turning land into golf courses destroys the natural habitat of plants and animals which is not environmentally friendly.

5.	Singapore as Sports Hub
“The Barclays Singapore Open has not only put Singapore on the golfing map, it has announced Sentosa’s arrival on the world stage as a premier lifestyle destination and a playground for all leisure activities and sporting events.” said Low Teo Ping, Board Member, Sentosa Development Corporation and Vice Captain, Sentosa Golf Club. Aimed to be the city in Asia for the business of sports, Singapore offers unparalleled access to logistical support, funding, branding opportunities and sporting fans to sports business enterprises. Singapore has since worked towards in providing the world-class facilities to host various local and international sports events.

Apart from the Barclays Singapore Open, Singapore is also the hosting venue for the WaterFest Singapore, Standard Chartered Marathon and the Formula 1 Grand Prix.

The WaterFest Singapore is Singapore’s only international water-sports festival that encompasses fun and exhilarating competitive and lifestyle water-sporting events. It aims to raise the awareness of water sports in the participants and integrating the culture and sport to their lifestyles.

The Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon is an international marathon event held on the first Sunday of December in Singapore. It is one of the leg of “The Greatest Race on Earth”, which is fully sponsored by Standard Chartered Bank. The other legs of this race are the Hong Kong Marathon, the Mumbai Marathon and the Nairobi Marathon.

The Formula 1 Grand Prix is the highest class of auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The annual F1 season covers a series of races held from purpose-built circuits to former public roads and closed city streets. Singapore was given the opportunity to host the first F1 Night Race in 2008. It is the first night-time circuit in Formula One history.

6.Reasons contributing to the growth in sports tourism
Economic forces

Income and leisure time play a part in influencing people to spend time in sports touirsm. As time changes, people are more affluent and educated. Having a higher disposable income means that the ability to spend more on for travelling purposes, especially for the sports enthusiast. Going around the world and supporting sport events that they are passionate about might be the greatest pleasure to them. Also, with companies focusing more on giving their staffs more leisure and family time, these sports tourists get more opportunities to travel around.

Political movements

The civil rights movement in the 1950 to 1980 had brought about awareness of equality before the law after the civil unrest since the World War I and II. It brings about equity issues such as ethnicity equity and gender equity. With a more stable political scene, sports events are now able to serve as a communication channel for participants and supporters to gather together and celebrate the particular sport festival. People are now able to travel and learn about other cultures and history with the political stability.

Innovations

1.	Transportation- With improved technology over the years, people can travel to almost anywhere with the various modes of transportation. Be it through air, waters or land, people are now able to get to their destination, no matter how remote, in days or even hours. Travelling is made easy and cheap (with the many modes available), and regardless of where a sports event is held, an air ticket will be able to bring a sport fanatic across the oceans and join in the fun.

2.	Accommodation- With more travelling done by the masses, accommodation becomes another need for tourists. The standard of accommodation has improved from motels to hotels to suit every traveler’s budget. More motels and hotels are also built around the world to accommodate tourists.

3.	Media- The technology in transmitting messages and knowledge from the radio and the television has improved over the years, and people are now more exposed to learning more about the different sports and international sports events held all over the world.

4.	Sports equipment- The improvement in technology, such as the development on sewing machines and various wood-crafting tools, had made production of uniforms and equipments easy. With mass production, these items are now available in cheaper prices. People can now engage in various sports with the widely-available uniforms and equipments needed for the sports.

5.	Internet- With the internet technology improving every day, booking of tickets for transport, accommodation and attending sports events is only a click away.

Increased access, expanded availability and ease of participation have contributed to the democratization of sports tourism.

Value changes

Nowadays, people are shifting from work ethic values to emphasizing on leisure and self-realization. They realize the benefits and importance of physical activity. In addition, prominence of professional sportspersons is increased across a range of sports, e.g. golf, basketball, soccer, tennis and others. As athletes are role models, they have the power of influencing sports enthusiasts, fans as well as children.