The Impact of the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games on Tourism Development and Policy Responses

Abstract

This paper takes the 2032 Brisbane Summer Olympics as the research object. Through a systematic comparison of the tourism effects of previous Olympic Games from 1984 to 2024, it assesses the expected impact of the Games on Brisbane’s tourism industry and proposes a corresponding policy framework. For Brisbane, the expected impact manifests across four dimensions: at the economic effects level, considerable benefits are anticipated but face the hard constraint of accommodation supply (currently only 24% of 2032 demand has been achieved); at the urban renewal level, A$19 billion in infrastructure investment will enhance carrying capacity, but post-Games utilization efficiency determines long-term outcomes, requiring Brisbane to draw on both the positive experience of Sydney’s careful planning and the negative lesson of Athens’ heavy construction, light operation; at the global exposure level, the visibility leap represents the greatest opportunity, but vigilance is needed against destination disillusionment caused by the gap between the extraordinary urban image presented during the event and visitors’ actual post-Games experiences; at the social tensions level, the historical trauma of Expo 88 necessitates the establishment of institutionalized community participation mechanisms—without these, social tensions will erode the positive value of the other three dimensions. Based on the above expected impacts, this paper proposes an inclusive tourism growth policy framework, arguing that only by integrating in-event reception capacity, post-Games legacy planning, sustained brand operations, and community benefit protection into a unified full-cycle governance framework can Brisbane transform economic opportunities into reality and achieve the leap from Australia’s third city to a globally renowned destination.