Abstract
Sport tourism, and sport tourism events in particular, have been identified as tools for developing
nations to stimulate economic development and position themselves as tourist destinations within a global
context. In this light, Libreville, Gabon hosted the 38th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON)
football tournament in 2012. Adding to the growing body of knowledge on the impacts of sport tourism and
its development in developing nations, this research sought to explore stakeholder perspectives of sport
tourism development in Libreville, Gabon, providing insights into lessons learned through the hosting of the
AFCON event and identifying opportunities for the hosting of future mega-events, and for sport tourism
development more broadly, in the region. To garner rich and in-depth data, the study employed the
qualitative research design, conducting semi-structured interviews with stakeholders in the fields of sport,
events, tourism and hospitality. The interviews were then transcribed and data analysed by thematic analysis.
Results of the study show that although the AFCON was successfully hosted in Libreville, in order to
develop a sustainable sport tourism industry, issues of poor infrastructure, the high cost of tourism in Gabon,
a shortage of skills and corruption within government organisations needs to be addressed.