Hosting a major international sporting tournament is valued as a huge honour, but it comes with the insurmountable pressure on the winning nature to provide the infrastructure and level of organisation to ensure that everything runs smoothly. France will once again grab the attention of a worldwide audience as they host Euro 2016, eighteen years after they last hosted a major tournament, which they won in front of a partisan crowd at the newly-build Stade de France against Brazil in the 1998 World Cup.
Football fans may predominately focus on who to back via the latest football betting odds with Coral and what happens on the pitch, but it will provide a substantial boost to the French economy throughout the entire tournament as millions travel to the ten venues to watch their team play, or enjoy the action at home on television.
France may be blessed to have an array of wonderful stadiums that are fit for a major international tournament, but Euro 2016 could make a big difference for local businesses who may enjoy soaring profits and a rapid increase in profile. Hotels, hostels and other forms of accommodation provided by local companies will thrive upon the millions of fans arriving to France from all over the world, with many saving up substantial amounts of money to remain in the country throughout the tournament to savour the euphoric atmosphere and cosmopolitan sights of France. Abritel-HomeAway, who have been announced as one of the six national sponsors declared by UEFA, are short-term rental property providers who will provide those who wish to combine their love for travel with their passion for football with over 170,000 properties across the country. It further extends the level of accommodation provided to fans coming over to enjoy Euro 2016, but more importantly will see a major rise in revenue generated through accommodation providers that will help every company, and the company as a whole, prosper.
Becoming a national sponsor of Euro 2016 creates substantial exposure that not only promotes the brand across a global domain, but can also create business opportunities that may not have otherwise become possible. Local businesses who work closely with UEFA and the French Football Federation are able to utilise their comprehensive network to provide football fans with the best hospitality possible to make their experience an enjoyable one, but the biggest selling point is promotion. The names of the six national sponsors will be advertised through billboards inside every stadium and signs across France, with lottery company FDJ and banking group Credit Agricole, who have a long standing association with football in France, able to expand the promotional field even further through the thousands of shops and branches they operate in across the country.
Along with the Tour de France, Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, France is also known for its steeped history in the gambling industry, with a number of games that are played across the world originating in the same country. Travelling to Monaco may be on the agenda of fans who like a flutter in some of the most luxurious casinos in the world, but Euro 2016 could generate considerable benefits for independent bookmakers located across France. The country’s gambling authorities received ?83 million through state-owned websites within the first month of legalising online betting in 2010 prior to the World Cup in South Africa, and with France considered favourites with Coral at 11/4, football betting may provide the country with a substantial economic boost throughout Euro 2016. Here is a team worth tipping to give the favourites a run for their money if they played together this summer, but although the hopes of an entire nation rest on France’s shoulders on the pitch, hosting a major tournament could see the income through licensed betting websites go beyond ?100 million.
Football fans will undoubtedly come to France in order to watch their nation play and cheer them on the pitch, but travelling provides an opportunity for people to sample the local delicacies and tour around the country to see all the famous landmarks and sights. Tour companies will experience a major spike in interest and profits during June and July as fans will look to enjoy themselves away from the action, while restaurants and local shops located across each of the ten designated locations will enjoy a significant increase in custom. The latter, in particular, will generate huge amounts of profits that could help keep local companies in business, and therefore ensures that France continues to thrive on an economical level.
