Image Fit between Sport Events and their Hosting Destinations from an Active Sport Tourist Perspective and its Impact on Future Behaviour

Abstract

Relationships between sport event and destination image have been identified in the literature. It is assumed that there is a common image capital of both the sport event and the hosting destination. Consequently the concept of image fit as the result of a common image capital between a sport event and the hosting destination is of high interest. This study analysed, using indirect multi-attributive measures of fit, sport event and destination image and compared the two images based on a fit index. The sample consists of active sport tourists (i.e. participants of the sport event) at four different endurance sport events throughout Germany (n = 551). Correspondence analyses were used to evaluate the fit qualitatively, whilst a fit measure indicated the degree of image fit. Regression analyses were used to test the influence of socio-demographic and macro-level components such as the degree of urbanization, size and history of the event on image fit. Urbanization and the event's history had an influence on image fit. Moreover the role of image fit as a predictor of future behaviour was investigated. It is shown that image fit serves only as a predictor for future visits to the destination. Conversely, sport event image and destination image influence future visits to both the destination and the sport event. Nonetheless, it was shown that image fit can be used as a predictor, even though additional constraints should possibly be included.