Exploring the Dynamics of Football Tourism in Chengdu city, China: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach to Understanding Tourists’ Intention

Abstract

The burgeoning field of football tourism represents a significant intersection of sports enthusiasm and travel, yet its dynamics, particularly in emerging markets like Chengdu, China, remain underexplored. The research aimed to elucidate how various factors, including motivation for football tourism, online word of mouth, subjective norms, destination image, and attitudes, influence the intention to engage in football tourism in Chengdu. With an emphasis on a quantitative survey to gather empirical data. The survey reached fans of various football clubs who had experience with football tourism in Chengdu, resulting in 609 valid responses. The data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), employing SPSS 27.0 and AMOS 27.0 for descriptive statistical analysis, reliability, validity tests, and model construction. Key findings revealed that motivation, online word of mouth, and subjective norms significantly influence both the image of football tourism destinations and attitudes towards football tourism. These, in turn, have a notable impact on the intention to visit football tourism destinations. The study underscores the importance of destination image and social influences in shaping tourist attitudes and intentions, offering insights into the decision-making processes of potential football tourists. In conclusion, this research provides a deeper understanding of the determinants of football tourism in Chengdu. It offers valuable insights for stakeholders in optimizing strategies and offerings to capitalize on the growing market of football tourism, emphasizing the role of digital platforms and social factors in shaping tourist preferences and decisions.