If you watched the broadcast of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, you will have noticed the stunning setting of the events, the festive atmosphere and the active support of the spectators. The Games, which were touted as the beginning of a new era, introduced several innovations in their planning and execution – starting with an opening ceremony that was held outside a stadium for the first time.

I have been lucky enough to be among Parisians both as a researcher and as a sports fan. I research and teach sports tourism and international events. I have studied the impact of events, particularly on city branding, and the legacies of major sports events, notably the 2010 Men’s World Cup in South Africa.

Read more: Fewer and fewer cities can afford to host the Olympics, but Paris 2024 could be smart enough to turn a profit

Sports tourism is already a US$3.6 billion industry in South Africa and is expected to continue to grow. The country has long hosted major sporting events – such as the annual Cape Town Rugby 7s tournament, the Nedbank Golf Challenge and the Comrades Marathon. It is an attractive year-round golf destination with a developed sports and leisure industry. There is every reason to view this as a niche economic sector with high growth potential for the country.

Although the last major sporting event hosted by South Africa was in 2010, there have been some outstanding major events since then – including the 2013 Men’s Africa Cup of Nations, the 2023 Netball World Cup and the 2023 Women’s Cricket T20 World Cup.

So what lessons can South Africa learn from France – a country that dominates innovation and development in the sports tourism industry?

1. Ensure a smooth process

France has managed to host an impressive line-up of events. The back-to-back mega-events of the 2023 Rugby World Cup and the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games have been punctuated by regular major events that attract tourism and boost the nation’s image – such as the Tour de France cycling event, the French Open in tennis and the Le Mans motorsport event. In addition to these major events, France hosts numerous major sporting events throughout the year. The country continues to top the United Nations’ list of tourism destinations, with sport providing an additional reason for tourists to visit or extend their stay in the country, either as a spectator or participant.

Although South Africa boasts a significant number of annual sporting events, it has not been able to sustain the major and mega events on this list. South Africa’s next mega event will be the Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2027.

Global events research shows that it is a portfolio of regular events, interspersed with major and mega events, that captures the world’s attention and drives tourism numbers. The US is following this pattern, supporting hosting a number of mega events over the coming decade to complement its line-up of annual events. The Men’s World Cup in 2026 will be followed by the Olympic Games in 2028 and the Men’s Rugby World Cup in 2032.

2. Maintain the economic impact

Paris 2024 will have a lasting, tangible impact in some less developed urban areas. For example, the Vaires-sur-Marne region strategically invested in infrastructure for the canoeing, kayaking and rowing competitions a few years ago. Local entrepreneurs and businesses benefited from spectators passing by their stands or establishments just outside the official event site. In South Africa, finding ways to involve local entrepreneurs and businesses as local suppliers and beneficiaries of sporting events is crucial.

The commune of Seine-Saint-Denis was chosen as an area for improvement. It now has a new swimming pool and the Athletes’ Village, which is set to become a residential and commercial complex. The area is now accessible via a new public transport hub.

Admittedly, it is still too early to assess the long-term sustainability and impact of these developments, which are now the subject of a joint research project. However, the planning of Paris 2024 shows what a development platform and transformative potential major events of this kind offer a city.

In South Africa, sporting facilities are still largely located in historically advantaged neighbourhoods. France took a strategic and targeted approach to extend the benefits to other cities across the country, even hosting the surfing event in the French territory of Tahiti. South African events should seek to extend the benefits and opportunities associated with major events to smaller towns and outside traditional urban centres.

3. Keep your costs low

Major events are known to involve enormous investments in facility development, which often results in stadiums being “white elephants” (unused) after the event.

Paris has set a new standard in redesigning venues in creative and innovative ways, building temporary stadiums in iconic locations, and investing in sporting infrastructure over a long period of time that was not included in the Olympic budget. For example, the Roland Garros tennis centre was renovated and the main courts were covered, making the venue more versatile. After the French Open in June, the centre was easily converted to host both Olympic tennis and Olympic boxing events in an indoor facility.

The Paris Olympics are predicted to be the “cheapest” of this century. Paris should inspire South Africa to use town halls, museums, village squares and other public spaces creatively to host events.

4. Involve people

The vision for Paris 2024 was to bring the Games to the people. The aim was to bring the events downtown and make many more events open to the public. This was in line with the International Olympic Committee’s vision of making the Games younger, more urban and more accessible.

Organizers used technology to personalize communications, ticket sales and transportation planning. Digital tickets are now widely available, but Paris took things to the next level with regular fan communications via email and apps to support spectator transportation, ticket sales and messaging.

Read more: 2024 Olympic Games in Paris: faster, higher, stronger – and more data-driven

Through innovative stadium entertainment activations (a combination of live DJs, stadium lighting and artificial intelligence-powered broadcasts on large screens), the organizers were able to create interactive and unforgettable sensory experiences.

South Africa would do well to leverage these trends to develop smart events of the future. The country already has the foundations in terms of infrastructure and event capacity, as well as a developed tourism sector. The example of Paris 2024 has provided insights into how mega-events can be hosted more economically and sustainably.