Sports facilities are not just expenses, they have significant benefits for municipalities. Sports facilities are increasingly recognized for promoting well-being, but they also have substantial economic impacts.<\/p>\n
Heinola DiscGolfPark World, more familiarly known as Kippis, is a DiscGolfPark located in Finland that has been named one of the world’s top 5 courses<\/a> and has grown into a globally renowned disc golf center through volunteer efforts. Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences students Ville Lind and Sulo Saarela examined the Kippis’ customer profiles in their thesis. Their survey received 962 responses, of which 705 were from visitors.<\/p>\n Lind and Saarela\u2019s study explored visitors\u2019 spending habits. The 705 visitors were asked to estimate how much money they spent on various services during their visit. A visitor was classified as someone traveling to Heinola from over 32 kilometers away. On average, visitors spent 36.70 \u20ac on restaurant services, 41.30 \u20ac on groceries, and 34.10 \u20ac on accommodations.<\/p>\n According to UDisc<\/a>, the global disc golf scoring platform, 72% of Kippis\u2019 visitors came from over 32 km away and represented 18 different countries. UDisc recorded over 10,000 visits at Kippis, and visitor counters showed 35,000 rounds played there in 2024. However, not all players use UDisc to record their rounds.<\/p>\n By correlating UDisc\u2019s percentage of tourists with visitor counter data, an estimate of the total number of tourist visits can be calculated. Conservatively, assuming tourists played 30% of the 35,000 rounds at Kippis, the spending impact is as follows: 385,350 \u20ac on restaurant services, 433,125 \u20ac on groceries, and 357,788 \u20ac on accommodations. This means that, using a very cautious estimate, Kippis brought at least 1,176,263 \u20ac to the Heinola area in 2024.<\/p>\n \u201cSports facilities and events not only enhance well-being, but also contribute significantly to Heinola\u2019s vitality and reputation. It\u2019s fantastic that this thesis was able to quantify the economic impact of tourism for Heinola so accurately. Additionally, the development of these sports facilities has been heavily reliant on volunteer work, making them incredibly cost-effective for the city,\u201d commented Heinola\u2019s Sports Services Manager Maria Kaikkonen.<\/p>\n