Turin 2006 Olympic Winter Games: impacts and legacies from a tourism perspective

The Olympic Games offer a significant opportunity for the development of the tourism industry in the hosting city and, more generally, in the whole Piedmont region. The preparation of tourism policies and strategies that are able to enhance the success of the Games, in a long-term perspective, is a very complex task that requires a great deal of specific research as well as a close collaboration among the different actors involved in the process. The paper analyses the case of the Turin 2006 Olympic Winter Games, highlighting the projects that were realised to host the event and the actions that were implemented to promote tourism and hospitality. Starting from the analysis of the pre-event situation, the paper shows how the Olympic Games have positively affected the local tourism system, in terms of increase in the tourism trends, production of a new image of the city and creation of innovative approaches for the governance of the territory.