A Study of Sports Hospitality at the Rugby World Cup 2019 for a Tourism Experience Product: A Consideration from the Viewpoint of Eliminating Overtourism in Spectator Sports

In this research project, we focus on sports hospitality at the Rugby World Cup 2019 as a practical example of the qualitative pursuit of sports tourism in the Japanese tourism industry. STH Japan K.K., Japan’s first company specializing in sports hospitality, hosted the first mega sports event held in Japan. A similar spectator service will next be implemented at the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. Sports hospitality is a new way to enjoy watching sports by adding a meal and entertainment before and after the match to the event ticket. Positioning and using sports hospitality as a tourism experience product, we can use qualitatively designed creative and effective methods that professional human resources could provide to tourists. This research project provides an overview of tourism experience products, looks at their economic effects at the Rugby World Cup 2019, and the sales results of the sports hospitality at the event. I conducted an observation survey at the Rugby World Cup 2019 Scotland vs. Samoa match held at Misaki Park Stadium (Kobe, Hyogo) on September 30, 2019 focusing only on tourism products in that framework. I also conducted a qualitative survey on March 18, 2020 in a semi-structured interview format with STH Japan K.K. senior advisors. The research results revealed the possibility of eliminating overtourism in spectator sports and the lack of sports hospitality spaces in Japan. Usually, when watching a sports match where many spectators gather, the uniform start and end times cause crowding and overtourism. The conventional challenge has been to create tourism products that reduce congestion and provide an enjoyable tourism experience. Sports hospitality is effective for relieving the stress caused by overtourism in spectator sports. In order to solve the shortage of sports hospitality spaces, one issue to consider is the deregulation by the government.