Brazilian President Dilma Roussef  and FIFA chief Joseph Blatter standing next to FIFA World Cup trophy during its presentation in Brasilia this week.

By Updesh Kapur /Doha

In just a week’s time, the global spotlight will be firmly on a nation that is hosting the world’s biggest single sporting event.

Hundreds of millions of soccer fans around the world will be glued to their TVs or large screens in hotels and public places as their teams compete for glory in Brazil.

Final preparations are being made by the 32 competing nations at training camps across the Americas ahead of the eagerly-awaited kick-off in Sao Paulo on June 12.

The month-long FIFA World Cup featuring 64 matches promises to be a spectacle in its own right – an exhibition of the finest players taking centre stage.

From the Amazon basin in the north to the banks of the River Guaiba in the south, 12 stadiums across Brazil will play host to a carnival of matches.

From Manaus in the tropical north to the capital Brasilia in the heart of Brazil; from Rio de Janeiro on the Atlantic coast to the cool climes of Porto Alegre in the south, venues are separated by thousands of miles yet promise to be an adventure for fans following their teams on the ground and those at home watching from the comfort of their armchairs.

For the Brazilian hosts, bringing the “beautiful game” to a nation that devours football is a blessing attracting tourists, revenue and, more importantly, a global audience pinned to everything Brazil.

In two years’ time, Brazil will once again be home to another sporting showpiece, the 2016 Olympics in Rio. Not bad for a country that had been the darling of investors for over a decade of encouraging growth.

An economy now slowing down at a time when billions have been injected into sports venues for major tournaments two years apart and amid public frustration at lack of spending on public services, doesn’t make good reading.

Putting aside the issues facing a country in staging two mega events, what Brazil’s PR supremos will be hoping for is a nation remembered for hosting sporting spectacles rather than the problems associated with delayed completion of venues and the public protests which have plagued the country’s image.

What will clearly be on their minds is painting a colourful picture of the legacy that this month’s soccer jamboree will have and how to build on its success. After all, the FIFA World Cup is the world’s most widely viewed sporting event and taking advantage is uppermost in the minds of marketers and PR gurus.

Welcome to the world of sports tourism, a fast growing sector of the global travel industry worth over $600bn a year.

According to Embratur, the Brazilian Tourism Board, Brazil expects to attract twice the number of visitors of recent years. The country handles over 5mn visitors a year, a far cry from the 80mn who head to France or 60mn to the USA annually.

The World Cup is an obvious magnet for fans-cum tourists, but it is beyond the tournament that figures will really matter. Distance, expense and crime have traditionally put off many potential tourists from visiting Brazil. Inadequate infrastructure such as hotels and transport has been a deterrent.

But with new investment in airports, roads and accommodation, the Brazilian mandate is clear: to create a lasting legacy of the World Cup and Olympics rather than suffering from post-event trauma. The momentum must continue to lure visitors in the coming years.

More than 500,000 visitors – 10% of the current annual figures – are expected to be in Brazil during the soccer extravaganza. Tourist organisations hope many will have a lasting impression of Brazil to warrant a repeat visit or encourage friends and families to head there later.

With so much marketing efforts around the world focused on nature and environmental tourism, Brazil’s vast landscape has plenty to offer such as the Iguacu Falls in the south or the Amazon rainforest in the north.

Thanks to the mega-buck global TV rights awarded to air the World Cup, viewers will have an opportune moment to absorb the atmospheric sights and sounds of the tournament and the many tourist attractions Brazil is home to.

Brazil hopes to show the world that there is more to just football and raucous samba rhythms that the country is so renowned for. It wants to add high-end events to its CV.

The country expects two successful sporting events will give the country a major boost in tourism as experienced by Australia after staging the 2000 Sydney Olympics and after London hosted the 2012 multi-sport event.

South Africa, too, experienced a positive impact for hosting the World Cup four years ago despite criticism that the country was ill-prepared to put together such an important large-scale event.

For sportsmen and women, participating in major sports events represents achievement to showcase their strengths, grit and determination to excel and win on the global stage. They compete fiercely to earn the right to take part in what can be a life-changing experience. Equally fierce is the competition to win the right to host a major event that can also have a positive impact on how others view you.

Like aspiring athletes, aspiring host cities seek their moment of fame and the opportunity to show the world they can do better than others.

Earning host city or host nation status for a major international sporting event can have a significant effect on a city, region and nation as much as on the competing sportsman or woman. It can change the profile of the place, and lives of the people, forever.

One word sums up why the burden of such responsibility is accepted for a host to create massive impact: Legacy.

The chance to go on a long journey can create great opportunities to shape the future of a city, region or nation. Common legacies from events are usually tangible such as employment or physical infrastructure, which benefit both local and national economies.

Sports tourism mega events are a catalyst for urban renewal as experienced in east London where many of the Olympic events were held two years ago. Sports tourism legacy has helped London develop and enhance social needs of the local community and surrounding areas.

Many past host cities of mega events are often established developed cities which suffer from urban decline and decay, caused by the erosion of traditional industries such as manufacturing. Mega events enable the host to address these areas and provide a social and economic legacy to transform the area into a desirable tourism destination.

Evidence of urban regeneration being implemented after an event is the ‘City of Manchester’ stadium, where this year’s English Premier League champions Manchester City FC was given the 2002 Commonwealth Games venue as its new home. Aside from this, there is a $1.5bn regeneration programme of the surroundings, one of Manchester’s poorest areas, to create new jobs and a brand new sports complex.

Sustainable legacy is now seen as the most integral part of a host’s successful bid for a mega event as it has the ability to transform a destination into a bustling tourism centre and create numerous job creation opportunities.

Dr Danny Jordaan, president of the South Africa Football Association and CEO of the 2010 World Cup, said legacy was crucial for the football-loving nation when it hosted the tournament for the first time.

He said the World Cup represented more than just 30 days of football, but about a long-term investment in the country and many industries, including tourism.

“It’s not about football – it’s about nation building” he said.

“South Africa was chosen to not only stage the World Cup in 2010 but also to carry the hopes, dreams and aspirations of Africa and especially African football. This provided a golden opportunity to change perceptions about Africa and to influence public opinion around the globe.

“If we can be equal to them (other World Cup nations) we must be among the best and through the World Cup leave a legacy of growth, unity and pride.”

However, Brazil has lessons to learn from the South Africa experience.

Yes tourism has been buoyant in South Africa, but the social impact has been a bitter pill to swallow.

Nine of 10 World Cup stadiums in South Africa are losing money, being unable to attract big sporting events or concerts.

The 94,000-seater Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg, is the exception.

The bill for the upkeep of the other sports venues falls on cash-strapped municipalities, something Brazil needs to take note of to avoid the misfortunes of South Africa.

Brazil’s anti-World Cup movement argues that the $11.7bn earmarked for Cup-related spending – three times South Africa’s budget – would have been better used on hospitals, schools and public transport.

Many in South Africa, the continent’s wealthiest country but still a middle income country, feel the same way.

In its final report on the 2010 tournament, FIFA and the South African Football Association urged people to focus on non-tangible benefits such as an improved national team and the rebranding of a country plagued by violent crime.

Whereas tourism numbers have boomed since the tournament, a reflection of both South Africa’s burnished international image and a weak currency, the sporting benefits are debatable.

For Brazil’s sake, hope lessons will be learned and the four-week World Cup extravaganza will have a positive lasting impression among its people. Tourists will for sure continue to flock to the country, but it is the hearts and minds of its people that need to be won.

A listening ear for the many millions who questioned the huge dollar spend on soccer infrastructure will go a long way towards better times ahead.