Sport Tourism Events as Community Builders—How Social Capital Helps the “Locals” Cope

Sport and tourism can play a major role in the bringing together of communities. The social cohesion that emanates from this interaction can make an important contribution to life in general, but rural life, in particular, in South Australia. Some towns have been struggling recently with high out-migration, poor seasons, loss of services, and general low morale. A sport tourism event could well be seen as a fillip for the community and this study looks at seven towns and the role a particular sport tourism event, the Tour Down Under (TDU), plays in building the social capital of the community involved.