ABSTRACT
A regularly cited justification for the hosting of the Olympic and Paralympic Games is that Olympic cities can generate considerable inward tourism, both as tourism destinations in their own right and as gateways to wider regions surrounding the host city. This chapter examines the role of Olympic cities in the generation of tourism. In providing the context for this analysis, the early part of this chapter outlines a range of Olympic tourism products, before briefly outlining the ways in which the Olympic and Paralympic Games might be leveraged to generate tourism. The two substantive parts of the chapter then examine, first, the ways in which Winter Olympic Cities can be tourism gateways to the wider region surrounding the host city and, secondly, the contribution of the Summer Olympic Games to the development of the host city’s tourism product and image.
