Portugal: Small Scale Sport Tourism Events and Local Sustainable Development. The Case of the III Running Wonders Coimbra

Tourism is a strategic industry for the Portuguese economy, with a continual growth since the beginning of the twenty-first century. The sport tourism sector is also rapidly expanding, highlighting in particular golf, nautical sport tourism and nature sport tourism. Sporting events are also considered strategic opportunities for tourism in Portugal, especially the small scale sport tourism events, particularly, running events or races, as those who have had the greatest growth. Despite these developments, few studies have analyzed the impact of small scale sport tourism events and their potential for local sustainable development. In an effort to fill this gap in the literature, the present study focused on the III EDP Running Wonders Coimbra. An online survey was provided to a sample of 345 participants of the event. An in-depth, semi-structured interview was also conducted to the executive director of the company who organized the running race. Demographic and participation profiles of the runners, as well as, economic, environmental and sociocultural impacts were analyzed. This study concluded that, organizing such small scale sporting events on a regular basis can serve as a catalyst for local sustainable development by ensuring the use of existing resources, the involvement of the host community and a consistent flow of visitors.