The making of the Tour de France cycling race as a tourist attraction

Abstract

The Tour de France (TDF) cycling race has become the world's biggest annual sporting event. Every July, it attracts approximately 11 million tourists along the roadsides of France, as well as several millions of TV spectators worldwide. Using MacCannell's sight sacralization process, this study examines the gradual development of the TDF as a major economic tourist attraction. By deconstructing how the TDF became a tourist attraction, the goal of this article is to reveal economic and sustainability implications for communities in hosting such a mega event. The article suggests that the TDF, both as a sporting event and a top tourist attraction, represents an opportunity for local development and economies in the form of shortterm peaks in hospitality, direct financial benefits, as well as in the promotion of cycling as a sustainable means of transportation. The study also explores how challenging hosting a stage of the TDF can become in terms of environmental sustainability for remote and rural communities. KeywordsTour de France; sport tourism; bicycle tourism; community development; economic development. Introduction -a prologue from inside the first stage of the 2018 editionSaturday July 7th, 2018, 5:00 am. My brother and I, as well as several thousands of cycling enthusiasts, are driving towards the island of Noirmoutier, on the French Atlantic coast, for the launch of the world's biggest annual sporting event. The Grand Départ (Big Start) of the 105th edition of the TDF cycling race is going to occur in six hours. Every July, the race starts from a different city. Nevertheless, the location of the Grand Départ's hosting city does not matter, since every July the same ritual happens for thousands of cycling enthusiasts: a pilgrimage towards the start of the world's most popular cycling race. The closer we get to Noirmoutier, the more we find ourselves surrounded by other aficionados, coming by car, bike, or RV, alone, with friends or family, from France or abroad. After an hour of driving, there we are, amid the bustle that generates the TDF. All around are swarms of supporters from different countries, waving flags, and also journalists, teams' members, sponsors, and official representatives, as well as members from the various companies that work for the TDF. This is a hive of activity and part of the excitement. This enthusiasm also springs from memories from our childhood, when our parents took us to the Pyrénées almost every year in our family RV, so we could assist the mountain stages and support the riders that were at the time our heroes. The excitement from the tumult of such a sporting event combined with the reminiscence of childhood memories led to an intense passion for the TDF and cycling in general. About twenty minutes prior to the long-awaited start, the first riders are lining-up under the departure arch (Figure 1). Similarly, the first journalists with their cameras are approaching, getting ready for the live broadcast. We are situated right next to that arch, front row behind the fences; ...

Destination marketing through film-induced tourism: a case study of Otaru, Japan

“…Framing refers to placing a boundary around the object, while elevation pertains to showing and opening an object for visitation (Cooper et al, 2020;Jacobsen, 1997;MacCannell, 1976). Destination marketers can use social media to expand the event's reach (Varnajot, 2020). Moreover, the icon's characteristics are evaluated by comparing them with other icons or tourist destinations (Henke, 2005).…”

“…When the researcher visited in January 2019, she witnessed great interest in purchasing the music box. Digitization, such as smartphones and social media applications, has also increased sales and merchandising (Varnajot, 2020).…”

“…Some tourism studies have adopted the model to deconstruct the development of tourist attractions. For instance, Varnajot (2020) demonstrated the economic and sustainable significance of hosting the Tour de France. Forristal et al (2011) revealed that Historic Prophetstown, US, has never surpassed the first stage, which resulted in fewer visits and limited economic benefits.…”

“…This stage motivates people to visit the site using books, guides and the Internet, without any proactive promotion from marketing organizations (Pearce et al , 2003). Varnajot (2020) claimed that the Tour de France was created by its relationship with the media. There must be an icon development of the destination to promote tourism.…”

Preferences of sports tourism consumers

“…One such case is the Tour de France which attracts nearly 11 million tourists along the roadside. This is a great example of an opportunity for local development dedicated to hospitality; it generates direct and indirect financial benefits (Varnajot, 2020).…”