Abstract
Cognisant of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the South African sport event tourism
subsector, the main objective of this study was to develop a sport event tourism recovery framework for
South Africa, with the aim of building the resilience of the subsector in the face of future crises, thereby
ensuring its sustainability. Using a multidimensional theoretical and conceptual framework, consisting
of the sport tourism framework and the resilience and stakeholder theories in which to ground the study,
a mixed method sequential research design was adopted. Data was collected from 28 key informants,
representing a range of sport event tourism stakeholders from South Africa’s three major sport event
tourism destinations (Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban), and 1002 sport event attendees at a major
annual sporting event held in Cape Town, which attracts participants from across the country. The key
findings of the study revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic has had significant negative impacts on
sport event tourism in South Africa, particularly relating to the loss of funds supporting the hosting of
sport events, the reluctance of previous sport event attendees to attend live and in-person events once
again, and the large-scale loss of skilled experts and practitioners in the field. Such negative impacts,
along with their potential long-term effects, need to be clearly understood by the relevant stakeholders,
to ensure the recovery of the subsector and use sport event tourism as a tool for promoting the broader
South African economic and social development agenda. Inhibiting the current recovery of the subsector
is the glaring absence of a consolidated South African sport event tourism policy or strategy that
considers the subsector, incorporating the perspectives of all the stakeholders and addressing concerns
around crisis management and resilience. Having such a policy in place would help provide guidance in
the face of future crises and pandemics, as well as helping ensure the future sustainability and success
of the subsector. The impacts of the pandemic and the uncertainty around the recovery of sport event
tourism have led to increased collaboration between the stakeholders involved, specifically in terms of
information-and resource-sharing and the development of new joint strategies, to support the hosting of
sport events in a safe and sustainable manner. From the stakeholder perspective, the COVID-19
pandemic has resulted in the large-scale closure of organisations that are involved in the planning and
hosting of sport events. The findings obtained further indicate that the various recovery strategies
implemented by stakeholders, including the adapting of sport event tourism products and working in
collaboration to support the reopening of events, have proved crucial in ensuring the survival and
recovery of the subsector. Regarding the sport event tourist, the study revealed, significantly, that the
pandemic has resulted in the emergence of a new sport event tourist typology. This new sport tourist
demands a holistic sport event experience that provides opportunities for socialisation, interaction with
like-minded individuals, and escapism from everyday life. The opportunities must be provided in an
environment supplied with visible and extensive health and safety measures, in the presence of
technology and contactless innovations. Overall, the findings of the study present that the future
resilience of the sport event tourism subsector depends on collaboration between the stakeholders, a
conducive regulatory environment that is governed by consolidated sport event tourism policy, and the
development of a new sport event tourism product that meets the needs of the post-pandemic tourist.
The contribution of the current study to theory lies in the fact that it is the first to consider the resilience
of sport event tourism in South Africa to the COVID-19 pandemic, especially through the lens of the
resilience theory and from a multistakeholder perspective. Practically, the study highlights the need for
proactive crisis management planning and for the development of new and innovative sport event
tourism products that meet the changing needs of sport tourists. The study proposes a recovery
framework that can be implemented practically, to ensure the sustainability and the survival of sport
event tourism in the face of future pandemics. The study concludes that the development of a resilient
sport event tourism subsector is an ongoing and dynamic process. The study makes recommendations
for future research, which should be pursued to deepen understanding of resilience and crisis
management within the context of sport event tourism.