Journal of Tourism & Hospitality
Open Access

Short Description of the Event, the Logo and Security of the Supporters at the UEFA Euro 2020 Event Held in Bucharest, Romania

Sava Amira Andreea^{* *}Correspondence: Sava Amira Andreea, Department of Tourism Management, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, Uganda, Email:

Author info »

Introduction

In 2021, tourism in the city was expected to increase due to the UEFA EURO 2020 European football championship, whereby UEFA decided that Bucharest would be the host city for four matches in the championship. It was expected that this event will have a very strong impact on the image of the city, Bucharest being to become an “urban agglomeration” during the organized matches, say Popescu and Corbos. Moreover, UEFA EURO 2020 has helped to create an identity and summertime spaces for both supporters and those attending the event, such as those attending matches, who go into fan zones, i.e. those who actually consume the goods created for this event. At the same time, geographically dispersed events are starting to become more appreciated and attractive for the organizers, as was observed during this final tournament. To better explain the event we have created a Figure containing data about UEFA EURO 2020 event in Bucharest, Romania. According to the Figure 1, the city center is represented in yellow, the place where the supporters met, especially in the old center area, before the match, and the tourists used a wider system. The internal flow of entry/exit into the urban area, between the center and the stadium was for the tourist flows that people carried out as they went to the center, waited for the game to start, and then headed toward the stadium. In the center of the city there are most accommodation, but also food units, and here were also the main means of transport that led to the national arena, such as the subway, tram, bus, even the trolleybus, there are also many taxi stations and ride-sharing systems. It should be remembered that all the supporters on the day of the game had all the free means of transport, but for the subway they had to pick up the travel cards from various points chosen by UEFA where they had to show proof of a ticket to the match, and the volunteers offered them a card for one day. For STB (transport company Bucharest) supporters had to activate the ticket from the official UEFA EURO 2020 application.

Figure 1: UEFA EURO 2020 in Bucharest.

Another area illustrated in dark blue is the area of Bucharest and the surroundings that include as main point the Arena national stadium, which is close to the exit from Bucharest, you can also find the North railway station, the main and largest train station in the city, the main railway station in Bucharest, the main railway station in Bucharest. This also connects with the Henri Coanda international airport in Otopeni, also present on the Figure, where there were internal, but especially external, tourist flows at this international event [1]. The emergence of low-cost airlines has helped develop sports tourism by making it easier for supporters to move around. Thus, in this area are also flowing national and international tourist flows of entry or exit. It is noted that from the highways most tourist flows are the national ones. For example, in the East is the nearest highway to the stadium, A2, which provides direct access to the downtown area, where the stadium is located. While in the West is represented the Bucharest-Pitesti highway, which connects the center of the country, but it is also a road related to several Romanian road customs.

Description

Taking into account the transport from Otopeni Henri Coanda international airport to the center of Bucharest, there are express buses 780 and 783, and the duration is between 40 minutes and 60 minutes. Express line 780 reaches the North railway station, while line 783 goes to Unirii square. It is worth noting that this option is slower than taxi, but it is perfect for low budget supporters. Tickets cannot be purchased from the driver; they could be purchased at the airport. The taxi is accessible in Bucharest, the journey to the city center is between 10 and 20 €, depending on the time and traffic, and takes between 30 minutes and 60 minutes [2]. Taxis can be ordered through the airport equipment or the related applications. There was also the possibility to rent a car from the airport, but this idea was not welcome because many roads were closed around the national arena and very difficult to find parking places, the stadium having no parking spaces related, only for supporters with reduced mobility, but also for the public. Organizers and national teams. The last and newest option to get from the airport to the city center is the train. The train line is located next to level 1 of the arrivals terminal parking, the ticket for a trip costs 4 lei in June 2021 and can be purchased directly from the train, and it runs every 40 minutes daily, 24 hours, the final destination being the North railway station, the train station, the train station, the train station, the train station, the train station, the train station, the train. The journey takes about 20 minutes.

As for the tourist flows from the North railway station, there is a slight difference between the two types of tourist flows, due to the fact that few foreign supporters have chosen the train to Bucharest as a means of transport, due to the long journey time, the number of tourists from the city of Bucharest. Especially when the border was crossed. However, as expected, most of the tourist flows of entry/exit from the North railway station are internal ones. The train line between Otopeni airport and North station was inaugurated on December 11, 2020, this being one of UEFA’s requirements to host cities [3].

UEFA EURO 2020, Bucharest municipality is a functional space that can support such an important event at international level and in the future, as the 2023 U21 European football championship.

Given the logos of the host cities of UEFA EURO 2020, they had as a central element of the brand revealed in London, the bridge being the visual and metaphorical symbol of the connection between cities and football. The challenge of the pan-European final tournament was to find an identity that expresses the theme of connection alongside the celebration of football and cultural diversity. The brand for UEFA EURO 2020 was created by the creative agency Young and Rubicam Portugal which created a visual identity that promotes the celebration, the message of union and connects the corners of Europe through football as a whole. At the same time, each host city is promoted through images of the most important tourist attractions, historical buildings, but not least, with the stadium where the UEFA EURO 2020 matches are played. Thus, the logos, branding or images represent the union of all European football communities, and the analogy between the union of European football and the fact that this EURO is the bridge between the nations, was valid both in the city logos and in the branding of the event.

On October 15, 2016, Bucharest unveiled the logo as the host city of UEFA EURO 2020. As mentioned earlier, THE EURO’s visual identity is that all host cities have an important bridge in the city on their logo, being the symbol of the Conxion between all these destinations, football being seen as a bridge between nations, says Davor Suker, member of the UEFA executive committee present at the ceremony in Romania [4]. In the case of Bucharest, the logo has as its central point the Basarab bridge, built between 2006 and 2011, which is 1.9 km long, connecting two of the most important neighborhoods of Bucharest (Figure 2).

Figure 2: Bucharest logo UEFA EURO 2020.

In Bucharest there were posters with the UEFA EURO 2020 logo on the lighting and electricity poles, but also in the metro stations or in the airport and in the North railway station there were banners with the event (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Security at the Arena nationale stadium during the UEFA EURO 2020 match between Ukraine and Austria 21 June 2021.

Conclusion

Given the safety of the supporters of the matches organized in Bucharest, the Gendarmerie, the police and the firefighters offered public order at the national arena, but also around it. For example, at the match between Austria and North Macedonia, 2,000 Gendarmes and police were mobilized. More than 2,000 gendarmes, police and firefighters ensured the safety of supporters on the day of the match between France and Switzerland in the old centre and near the national arena.

References

1. Bogan E, Moldoveanu EA, Iamandei MI. The perspectives of sports tourism development in Bucharest, Romania. Calitatea. 2018;19(S1):92-100.

   [Google Scholar]

2. Popescu RI, Corbos RA. The role of festivals and cultural events in the strategic development of cities. Recommendations for urban areas in Romania. Info Eco. 2012;16(4):19.

   [Google Scholar]

3. Horne J. Material and representational legacies of sports mega-events: the case of the UEFA EURO™ football championships from 1996 to 2008. Soc Soci. 2010;11(6):854-866.

   [Crossref] [Google Scholar]

4. Lee Ludvigsen JA. Mega-events, expansion and prospects: Perceptions of Euro 2020 and its 12-country hosting format. J Consum Cult. 2021.

   [Crossref] [Google Scholar]