Analysing the motivations of Japanese international sports-fan tourists

Abstract

ABSTRACTResearch question: The number of sports fans travelling internationally to attend sporting events as spectators is increasing every year. Understanding their behaviour is important for sports marketers, including sports organisations, travel companies and government tourist organisations. Numerous studies have examined motivations either from the perspective of sports fans or from that of tourists, but there has so far been little research on sports tourism. The aim of the current study is to develop two scales, one for sports fans and another for tourists, with initial motivation factors derived from previously published scales for both groups. The study also considers the activity and motivations of Japanese sports tourists as an increasingly important sub-segment of the international sports tourism market.Research methods: Data were collected from Japanese general tourists (N = 3773). Of those surveyed, 9% (N = 338) had watched sports in foreign countries. Motivation scales were developed using factor analysis and independent t-tests.Results and findings: A Tourist Motivation Scale (Escape, Nature, Shopping and Gourmet Dining) and a Sports Fan Motivation Scale (Socialisation, Achievement, Relaxation in Sports and Enjoy High Level of Games) were developed. Then, the mean scores were compared by gender, active sports participation, and for two major spectator sports: professional soccer in Europe (England Premier League, Spanish Liga BBVA, Italian Seria A, and so on) and Major League Baseball in USA.Implications: The research presents practical implications for stakeholders in the market for international sports tourists. In particular, marketers should consider different strategies when targeting male and female sports tourists, and consider segmentation of sports tourists between purely spectators and those that participate in sports. The latter are motivated by greater detail in information about the sports they watch.