Tennis Tournaments Rally To Lower Emissions And Increase Ticket Sales

LONDON - Nov. 2, 2023 - PRLog -- Four ATP Tour tournaments have committed to drive down emissions following new research that revealed up to 80% of carbon emissions from an event is due to fan travel. In what could be a game, set and match opportunity for the sport,
the research also highlighted that by improving fan mobility, the potential for
a ticket sale upturn is sizeable.

The research, undertaken by Fan Mobility working with the ATP Tour and the four tournaments, analysed travel data of fans from: Movistar Chile Open
(ATP 250, Chile), Terra Wortmann Open (ATP 500, Germany), Nordea Open (ATP 250, Sweden) and Generali Open (ATP 250, Austria). Spectator numbers varied from 30,000 to 100,000 and locations differed from rural to more urban, seaside and alpine to ensure a balanced research sample.

Research highlights include:

• The majority of fans (68% across the four tournaments) arrived by car.
• Cars accounted for 88% of the overall carbon emissions compared to the low use of public transport at an average of 15% using buses and 13% of spectators using trains.
• Nearly two thirds of fans (60%) said they would travel by shuttle bus and or public transport if it was offered.
• Parking, congestion and the resulting pollution dominated fan feedback, further strengthening the case for improved travel solutions.
• In one tournament, up to 8,000 more tickets could have been sold had fans been given better access to mobility solutions.

Commenting on the findings, Florian Zinnagl, Tournament director of Generali Open, Kitzbühel; says:

"Fan Mobility helped us significantly to understand the mobility needs of our spectators to the ATP250 in Kitbühel in 2023 so that we can improve their experience and increase accessibility in the future.

The tools and approach are easy to handle and to integrate. I recommend Fan Mobility to any organisation aiming at reducing their environmental footprint by analysing the travel of their fans and developing tools for future actions".

Paul Coleman, Co-Founder of Fan Mobility adds: "Each of the tournaments are popular with a loyal fan base and the whole point of the initiative has never been about putting people off going to enjoy the sport that they love. The research highlights the majority of fans don't want to travel by car but often feel they have no alternative. By improving travel solutions we will not just drive down emissions, we will also increase ticket sales which is great for both tennis and the environment."

Mischa Zverev, Co-Founder of Fan Mobility and former No.25 in the world adds: "What we have found is a modal shift in that fans demand and expect travel assistance, and organisers and venues have congestion, climate and pollution responsibilities to measure and reduce, simple common sense."

http://www.fanmobility.com