Italy: Sport Tourism Events. The Case of the Rome-Ostia Half Marathon

This Italian case study of the Roma-Ostia Half Marathon was carried out between 2015 and 2016, with the aim of looking at the socio-economic impact of the event on the local territory, specifically how combining sport and tourism can actively contribute to the development of communities. The successful running of such sporting events requires, not only the commitment of the athletes, but also that of the organizers, the municipalities and communities where they are held. In Italy, there are 70 marathons (Equibity 2016) and 271 half marathons (Italy Half Marathon 2016) distributed throughout the year, mainly thanks to the Italian climate. The Roma-Ostia Half Marathon is the oldest marathon, and the one with the largest number of participants (almost 12,000). The whole survey analysed the host city and event characteristics, concentrating on social, cultural, economic and environmental aspects. Information was collected through interviews with organizers and municipality, semi-structured questionnaires, and a quantitative analysis of the data was carried out. The paper only reports the results of one of these questionnaires, published in the Limesurvey platform in Italian and in English, submitted to over 2,000 participants. The questionnaire enabled the socio-economic profile of the athletes to be outlined, with information being collected as to their provenance, the modalities of their participation, and their personal views on the socio-cultural, economic and environmental impact of the event. The study shows that, although this sporting event is very much appreciated by the participants (58%) and evidently pays attention to the protection of the environment (60%), it does not sufficiently promote opportunities for tourism (21%). Local development could also be better improved by reinforcing the relationship between the team organization and the public administration. Unfortunately, in Italy (and not only in this country) a strategic planning of this type is lacking. Among the positive aspects that emerged from the research were the sense of belonging and pride of the event (88%), and the number of tourists it attracted (93%).