Tenth International Conference on Sport & Society

Abstract

Traditionally, the central government in Thailand has exploited the opportunities that sport tourism offers to its economy. A few decades ago, however, some convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs) in the country have realized the importance of sport events to their local economies and start to secure hosting rights for major sport events. Although a number of CVBs in Thailand have successfully pursued the position of sport tourism destination, there is inadequate investigation on how their strategic planning for such unique position is carried out. This study explores CVB’s strategic planning process for sport tourism destination. A convention and visitors bureau of Buriram, a city near Thailand-Cambodia border, is selected as a case study. The in-depth approach is employed in interviews with the CVB officials. The findings which are important to the sport destination’s positioning strategy are discussed. Relevant theoretical and managerial implications are addressed.