Determinants of Behavioral Intentions in the Context of Sport Tourism with the Aim of Sustaining Sporting Destinations

Yunduk Jeong,Suk-Kyu Kim,Jae-Gu Yu

doi:10.3390/su11113073

Yunduk Jeong, Suk-Kyu Kim + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su11113073

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Abstract

This study was undertaken to examine structural relationships between event quality, tourist satisfaction, place attachment, and behavioral intentions with emphasis on the mediating effects of tourist satisfaction and place attachment on relations between event quality and behavioral intentions in the context of a small-scale recurring sporting event. Responses obtained from 350 attendees were collected and analyzed. Results showed positive impacts of (a) event quality, tourist satisfaction and place attachment on behavioral intentions, (b) event quality and tourist satisfaction on place attachment, and (c) event quality on tourist satisfaction, and demonstrated (d) tourist satisfaction and place attachment partially mediate relationships between event quality and behavioral intentions and that (e) place attachment partially mediates the relationship between tourist satisfaction and behavioral intentions.

Highlights

Intense competition between countries and regions in the tourism industry has resulted in focus on behavioral intentions, such as intention to recommend and revisit, being viewed as a prime concern of tourism destinations and their marketing organizations [1,2]
To promote theory development, we investigated the mediating effect of tourist satisfaction on the relation between event quality and behavioral intentions, and that of place attachment on the relation between event quality and behavioral intentions
The proposed model allows the identification of relationships between (1) event quality and tourist satisfaction, (2) event quality and place attachment, (3) tourist satisfaction and place attachment, (4) event quality and behavioral intentions, (5) tourist satisfaction and behavioral intentions, and (6) place attachment and behavioral intentions, and showed (7) tourist satisfaction and place attachment had partial mediating effects on the relation between event quality and behavioral intentions, and that (8) place attachment partial mediated the relation between tourist satisfaction and behavioral intentions

Summary

Introduction

Intense competition between countries and regions in the tourism industry has resulted in focus on behavioral intentions, such as intention to recommend and revisit, being viewed as a prime concern of tourism destinations and their marketing organizations [1,2]. Sporting events are referred to as hedonic services that offer many tangible and intangible benefits to host countries and regions [6]. It has been reported small-scale sporting events can attract many domestic tourists and improve destination image almost as effectively as mega sporting events [5]. For this reason, small local communities not able to host large-scale sporting events should consider small-scale recurring sporting events a cost-effective means of attracting tourists

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