Tourism and sports alone constitute two of the most thriving leisure activities that people enjoy today. Sports tourism has become its own specialist market and together offers major financial growth and sustainability opportunities (Gibson, nd). Organizing a mega-event is a key tactic to promote not only the sport, but also the city in which it takes place. Both risky and profitable, we will study hospitality and its components in more detail, as well as sports tourism as a whole. Sports tourism, like any market, continues to change and evolve based on internal and external forces. Playing the Host in Sports Tourism The Power of Playing the Host is an article I found that is closely related to chapter seven of our textbook. The article highlights sports tourism today, as well as how to win by hosting, how to score points by doing so, and the key factors for successful construction and engineering once sports tourism implemented (Mendiratta, 2010). Overall, according to Mandiratta (2010), if done correctly, becoming the host of a mega-event can result in huge gains for the venue, followed by a new legacy within their tourism sector. Gibson ( nd , p. 143) states that sports tourism has five themes; time, space, motivation, form of activity and behavior. These themes are influenced by internal and external forces that will continue to shape and change the sports tourism market. Throughout this article, I will continue to link the previously mentioned themes, focusing specifically on the sports tourism market; accommodation.DiscussionWhen considering behavior as a theme, it is described as a distinction between an [active person t...... middle of paper ......y” (Higham, 1999, p. 89). Higham makes a good point. If planning is not done strategically and based on the characteristics of a designated area, it is likely that the outcome will be a failure or even a negative outcome. Not all cities are suited to hosting events, and some must evaluate the appropriate time to host events. A fantastic example of timing and significance is the 2010 World Cup bid. When South Africa applied in 2004 to host the 2010 cup, they received host and life-changing results. people in such a positive way. This news marked the beginning of a six-year path toward national reconstruction. Not only that, but it insulated the nation from the economic downturn of 2008-2009 because pre-funded and pre-committed preparations for the event were already underway and guaranteed, providing work for thousands of people (Mediratti, 2010).