ESRC Research on Sport Tourism and International Sports Events by Dr Richard Shipway
The Sport Tourism Opportunities for Research, Mobility and International Networking Group (STORMING) Initiative awarded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ERSC) to Dr. Richard Shipway offered seventeen travel and conference bursaries for UK-based early career researchers to each attend one of three international networking events. This grant scheme formed part of the ESRC’s ‘International Training and Networking Opportunities Programme’. The project utilised the bursaries to both increase international mobility and provide networking opportunities for emerging early career researchers with a commitment to supporting and further developing sport tourism research. Bursaries were awarded across eleven higher education institutions. The 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games also acted as a catalyst for this project, highlighting the impacts of sport events.
Dr Heather Hartwell on recreation, leisure and wellbeing
There are new and exciting developments within the School of Tourism with ground breaking research identifying the fusion between recreation, leisure and wellbeing. The rationale for co-locating a tourism and public health strategy is based on the recognition that creating a community culture where a tourist destination is seen to enhance and promote physical and mental health for both locals and tourists is desirable. A community that supports health creation can be a re-branding opportunity within a destination management approach, dovetailing health and wellbeing alongside a marketing and economic positioning. The concept of wellness tourism is emerging and is an area where strategic priority is being given in many European destinations. It is estimated that the market is currently worth $106.0 globally1 with predictions of major growth in the coming 5-10 years2.
“Money is no longer the decision factor, creativity is” – Professor Dimitrios Buhalis on charities using Social Media
The eTourism Lab, ICTHR , in the School of Tourism at Bournemouth University is supporting Just a Drop– a water charity to spread its word through Social Media and the Internet.
Professor Dimitrios Buhalis and Georgina Sekadakis a Masters student at Bournemouth University work closely with Fiona Jeffery Chairman of World Travel Market & Just a Drop and Ana Sustelo of Just a Drop to demonstrate how charities can use Social Media to benefit their great causes. Just a Drop is a registered water charity raising money to build wells, install boreholes and hand pumps as well as carry out sanitation and health education programmes in some of the poorest parts of the developing world. The mission they are trying to accomplish is to reduce child mortality. Currently a child dies every 20 seconds as a result of water-borne diseases and this must stop. Their main donors are from the Travel and Tourism industry however they are now trying to attract donors from all industries and individuals.
Read More‘Tourism comes of age’ by Professor Alan Fyall
Although a major contributor to life at BU, the study of Tourism is often wrongly maligned as being a niche subject on the periphery of more established areas of study such as Business & Management and Geography. Well, in the UK alone over 100 institutions offer HE courses at undergraduate level including “top tier” universities such as Exeter, Surrey, Strathclyde and Stirling with many more competing for students and staff across Europe and beyond with major concentrations of activity in North America, the Middle East, South East Asia and Australia and New Zealand where tourism is not only a significant area of academic interest but also of valuable income, foreign exchange earnings and employment.
Sports Consultancy Projects – The FA pass it on!
The consultancy project, run by Sports and Retail within the school, brings in some high level industry partners to work with. In the past the sports students have worked with the RFU, Dorset County Football Association, Goodwood, and of course, RELAYS, as well as many others. Our projects are conducted by teams of Level H students across our four degree programmes with very positive feedback and results from all, a testament to all the hard work the students (and staff) put into these.
I recently made contact with one of the organisations that we worked with last year, The FA (Tesco Skills Programme), and got this response from them:
‘The FA Tesco Skills Programme is a revolutionary approach to youth coaching that has been providing high quality football skills courses for 5 to 11 year old boys and girls of all abilities since 2007. The programme is not just about learning basic football skills but also getting children involved in physical activity and leading healthier, happier lives. Since September 2009 the Dorset team have been supported by Year 4 Sport Development and Coaching Science [and Sport Psychology and Coaching Science] Students consultancy teams from Bournemouth University. These teams have collected and analysed video footage of skills sessions with players aged 5-11 years and offered their analysis on coaching methods, questioning and behaviour management, as well as attempting to identify any areas to improve upon based on relevant literature. Additionally a team has also created a DVD Resource for the team to use when working with other coaches. This partnership has been a huge success with Students from the University producing professional work and gaining valuable insight into youth coaching work. This partnership has been showcased nationally as best practice and other teams from across the country have begun to create links with their local Universities to develop similar projects.’
It is extremely encouraging to see that we are promoting new thinking within the FA and that the principles we have laid out with the consultancy projects, as a school, are being taken to other institutions around the country. Bournemouth University leading the way yet again!
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