The Development Prospects of Sports Dance Events in Greece

Events are considered as an important element in the tourism sector and many destinations define events as a key tool for their development and promotion. This paper examines the context of dance competitions and sports dance (or dancesport) events held in Greece, focusing on the cities of Athens and Kalamata. Literature review offers the concepts of cultural tourism, sports tourism, and event tourism, as well as the whole theoretical framework around festivals and festival tourism. In addition, the concept of sports dance is clarified and important information about dance competitions and sports dance events is provided. The research approach focuses on sports dance and concerns a primary survey with questionnaires to those who participate in such events. According to the results of the survey, dance competitions and sports dance events are not only an attraction for a significant number of tourists, since there is a remarkable number of participants usually accompanied by their families, supporting financially the destinations either to a small or a greater extent. Besides, in Greece, apart from Athens and Kalamata, there are many festivals and events related to sports dance. Furthermore, there are important bodies that are significantly involved in sports dance at national and global levels, demonstrating that the contribution of such events is particularly important. In addition, the levels of satisfaction of the individuals from their experience in the events highlight that it is necessary to make improvements and changes that will attract more interest and will contribute to a greater number of participants.