UEFA EURO 2024 will kick off as the most sustainable of all time with renewable energy in stadiums, minimal floodlighting and water usage, and smart games scheduled to reduce travel for players and fans, according to a Euromonitor expert.
Germany is hosting UEFA EURO 24, which gets underway on Friday, with the tournament taking place in 10 German cities including Munich and Cologne, with the final being held in the iconic capital Berlin.
Justas Gedvilas, Sports and Entertainment Research Manager at Euromonitor International, said: “UEFA has pledged to make EURO 2024 the most environmentally sustainable European Championship ever. Tournament schedules have been built in a way that minimises travel between venue cities, while public transport users will enjoy discounts and other incentives to decrease dependency on cars and flying.
“All stadiums will be run with renewable energy with limits set on electricity usage including reduced floodlighting and pitch watering. Circular economy principles – reducing, reusing, recycling and recovering – will form the basis for waste management practices in and around venues.
“These practices will highly resonate among the football fans and consumers in general, as demonstrated by findings in Euromonitor’s Voice of the Consumer: Lifestyles Survey 2024. Reducing food waste and plastics use, and recycling items were identified by half of respondents globally as the way they enact green activities. Reducing energy consumption was selected in more than 40% of survey responses.”
Germany to break all records: Tourism to exceed 2019 peak levels with spending of EUR47 billion
Euro 2024 is expected to attract a global audience of over 5 billion people, tuning in to watch the top European countries battle it out for the UEFA cup.
Caroline Bremner, Head of Travel and Tourism at Euromonitor International, said that according to Euromonitor’s latest travel forecasts, the outlook for tourism in Germany in 2024 off the back of Euro 2024 is rosy.
“International arrivals to Germany are set to exceed peak 2019 levels, reaching 42 million, with inbound tourism spending of EUR47 billion, reaching new highs for the destination. Arrivals are set to grow by 22% and value even stronger at 24% over 2023/2024, demonstrating how sports tourism can drive value creation, a key pillar of sustainability for communities and destinations.
“Berlin is predicted to welcome 6.2 million international visitors while Munich in second place is forecast to receive 4.3 million in 2024. The less well-known cities will see the strongest growth as visitors look to discover new destinations like Gelsenkirchen while guaranteed a match ticket. Domestic tourism will also receive a welcome boost, with sound growth of 9% for both trips and spending in 2024.”
Bremner said that Euro 2024 taking place during the peak summer months in the northern hemisphere, would likely have a knock-on impact with consumers in key countries like the UK delaying their summer holidays until the tournament is finished.
“Hosting a tournament can equally displace regular visitors that may be put off by elevated prices and football chanting crowds. Tour operators, hotels and hospitality players will be looking to capitalise on streaming games in their venues and resorts, to cash in on fans seeking to enjoy the matches.
“With Paris hosting the 2024 Olympics and Paralympic Games after Euro 2024, the summer in Europe is set to be full of celebrations and, of course, a few tears. There is a global network of media lined up to live stream these events across the globe. The world is watching Europe.”
Bremner said that in the UK, football is attracting an increasing audience of younger women. “The success of England’s Lionesses in the 2022 UEFA Women’s Euros has also helped to boost greater inclusivity and interest in sport in general. Great news as the UK and Ireland gears up to host UEFA Euro 2028.”
Big brands have it all to play for in UEFA EURO 2024
Gedvilas said this year’s list of global sponsors for EURO 24 includes some of the brands with the highest presence in professional sports sponsoring, such as adidas (3rd apparel & footwear company in the world by global market share, standing at 1.8% in 2023) and Coca-Cola Zero (Coca-Cola Co, biggest soft drinks company in the world), with a global market share of 18.1% in 2023.
Other major names in their respective industries include AliExpress (Alibaba Group Holding Ltd accounting for 2.7% of global retail market share in 2023) and Vivo (3.2% of global consumer electronics market share in 2023).
“Several major household names have jumped at the opportunity to sponsor the event hosted in Germany. Lidl (4.8% of Germany’s retail market share in 2023) signed off a global sponsorship with UEFA in early 2023. Brand owners of Bitburger (5% of Germany’s alcoholic drinks market in 2023), and Wiesenhof (0.6% of Germany’s staple foods market in 2023) are among official national sponsors, active within German territory, said Gedvilas.
UEFA EURO 2024 selected commercial partners by main industry
Source: Euromonitor
