Sport Event Tourism Research Articles

Insignificant but Essential: The Critical Role of Non-Significant Variables through Necessity Logic in Sport Event Tourism Context

This study explores the application of Single Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA) alongside traditional regression-based techniques, such as Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), to provide a comprehensive understanding of consumer behavior in sport and tourism settings. Traditional methods, including SEM, often rely on additive logic, which predicts outcomes using multiple variables that can compensate for each other. While useful, this approach may offer an incomplete picture of complex consumer phenomena. In contrast, necessity logic, exemplified by NCA, identifies conditions that must be present for an outcome to occur. This study applies NCA to evaluate the essential factors influencing intentions to visit sport events in Bangkok, Thailand, specifically focusing on attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control as necessary conditions. The findings indicate that if these conditions are not met, the intention to visit a sport event typically will not occur. By integrating both necessity and additive logics, this study reveals that all variables in the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) are indispensable for forming an intention to visit a sport event. The analysis shows that attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control are necessary conditions, even though subjective norms and perceived behavioral control may not appear significant in traditional SEM tests. The study underscores the importance of considering multiple causal perspectives—deterministic, probabilistic, and typicality—to achieve a holistic understanding of consumer intentions. This dual approach ensures that significant variables are not overlooked, providing robust support for the TPB in the context of sport event marketing. Future research should continue to incorporate complementary perspectives to enhance the accuracy and depth of consumer behavior analysis in various settings.

Spatial analyses of crime in a host city: contextualizing current crime for future mega-event delivery in Los Angeles

ABSTRACT Winning the bid to host the Olympic Games and other large events offers host cities opportunities such as exposure, status, and tourism. However, hosting the events also include negative externalities impacting the local community and businesses. We examine the spatial distribution of crime in Los Angeles to expand upon the existing literature and corresponding theories that examine the relationship between crime and event sport tourism, as well as offer an applicable analysis of crime that can be used by future mega-event host cities to identify spaces potentially vulnerable to criminal activity. Spatial analysis of the incidents’ data was based on GIS embedded machine-learning analyses and a hot-spot statistical examination. Both analyses demonstrated a concentration of criminal incidents across different types in downtown Los Angeles and clusters of crimes in other areas of the city, some of which are near other venues that will be used in future mega-event delivery.

Another market segment: sport event tourism by disabled athletes

Sports and tourism are connected in various parts of economies, cultures, and nations. However, there has been a limited understanding of sports event tourism involving disabled athletes. This study explored the behavioral and socio-demographic implications of the disabled sports event tourism and investigated the motivational factors involved. An in-person survey was administered to 108 disabled athletes who attended the summer and winter Paralympics. A Structural Equation Model was used to determine the association between the factors of life satisfaction, emotional happiness, escapism, perceived value, and future intention, using the Monte Carlo parametric bootstrapping method to test significance of direct and indirect effects. Cronbach was acceptable because it exceeds 0.70 which satisfies the cut-off of confirmatory factor analysis. In addition, the individual values of average variance extracted (AVE), were greater than 0.50 (0.72) which meets the requirement and the convergent validity of all the constructs. The results showed that life satisfaction had a significant direct effect on future intentions. Emotional happiness had a significant direct effect on the perceived value of an event. Escapism had significant direct effects on perceived value and future intentions. Perceived value significantly influenced future intentions. The relationship between emotional happiness and future intention was fully mediated by perceived value. However, the relationship between escapism and future intention was only partially mediated by perceived value. The results of this study are valuable for developing future management and marketing policies for disabled athletes and tourists to advance the existing sports event tourism and disabled athlete’s behavior studies.

Exploring strategic multi-leveraging of sport tourism events: An action-research study

Strategic planning of sport events should promote the maximisation of local communities' benefits. Among other dimensions of interest to the host destination's stakeholders, given the aim of sustainable development, sport events leveraging must integrate economic, social and environmental perspectives, justifying its multidimensional extensiveness. The general objective of this study was to stimulate and understand the process of planning and implementing strategic multi-leverage of international open water swimming events hosted in Portugal, in 2022, addressing the economic, social, environmental, partners and sport dimensions.This study employed a case study approach within an action-research methodology. The research design covered three action-research stages: planning, implementation and analysis. The data collection combined nominal group sessions, field observation, document analysis and interviews. The qualitative analysis used the triangulation of the data collected, and the content analysis was performed using the NVivo software.Actions were strategically planned targeting economic, social, environmental, partners, and sport dimensions, albeit with a prominent focus on economic and sport leverage. Excluding sport, the implementation of strategic actions ensured all dimensions' operationalisation. Six constraints (e.g. little adherence from local partners) and three drivers (e.g. commitment and authority of the leverage coordinating team) conditioned the strategic leverage implementation. The strategic planning of future sport events should outline actions that intensify the destination’s image, focusing the attention of stakeholders on valuing the natural attributes. This study strengthened knowledge about the multi-leverage approach applied to two sport events, reinforcing the need to implement cross-leveraging among the aforementioned dimensions to enhance the success of strategic leverage.

The path to resilience in sport event tourism: South African stakeholder responses to a crisis

ABSTRACT This study sought to determine how South African sport tourism stakeholders responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, looking at sustainable pathways to building a resilient sport event tourism sector. In-depth semi-structured interviews with 28 sport event tourism stakeholders revealed that, in response to the pandemic, there was unprecedented collaboration between stakeholders, particularly concerning joint funding initiatives, collective marketing strategies and reviewing of contractual partnerships. Furthermore, there is a lack of relevant policy to guide stakeholders through recovery and the mitigation of long-term negative impacts. The current study is the first of its kind globally and in South Africa, viewing sport event tourism through the lens of resilience and stakeholder management, and providing recommendations on stakeholder collaboration and policy development for sustainable practices and management, ensuring the future resilience of the sector.

Strategic environmental leverage of a sport tourism event: Approaching the global challenge locally

The proactivity in the management of sport events is essential to maximise environmental benefits for the host communities through strategic leverage. Therefore, this study aimed to understand the process of strategic environmental leverage in an international nature-based non-mega event of sport tourism (Sintra PRO 2022 - stage of the IBC World Bodyboarding Tour) by means of action research. Data collection combined several methods and sources, namely, document research, nominal group sessions, field observation, and interviews conducted with organisers and partners of the event. Three actions, which synergistically linked the environmental values of community projects and the sport subculture, were implemented in order to focus stakeholders' attention on the environmental topics. The availability of local resources and the involvement of the network of local partners facilitated the implementation of environmental leverage. On the other hand, the lack of communication between those involved in the operationalisation and promotion of environmental leverage actions was a constraint in the process. This study highlights several implications for environmental leverage in sport events, as well as for the applicability of the environmental leverage model to promote strategic planning and the implementation of the resulting strategic environmental leverage actions in sport events.

Cocreation of the Tourism Experience at International Sport Tourism Events

The cocreation of the tourist experience in sporting events has received little scientific attention. This study aimed to analyze the influence of cocreation of the tourist experience on the memorability of the experience through the attention and involvement of sporting event tourists, and to verify whether this influence changes with the type of experience (i.e., active participant vs. spectator). A total of 356 questionnaires was collected at two international cycling events held in Portugal in 2021. The data were analyzed with structural equation analysis and a Mann???Whitney test. Cocreation influences attention and involvement, which, in turn, help to explain the relationship between cocreation and memorability, highlighting differences between the two types of experience. For the first time, the on-site cocreation model was applied to sport tourism events. In this touristic context, experiences must be developed through a customized approach based on the creation of hedonic and eudaimonic experiences.

Why Do Local Residents Oppose Olympic Bids? An Electoral Perspective from Calgary 2026 (Supplementary)

This supplementary file includes the survey questions for the file Why Do Local Residents Oppose Olympic Bids? An Electoral Perspective from Calgary 2026

Effects of Sports Tourism on Leisure Satisfaction in College Students

Leisure, sports, and tourism have been significant economic drivers around the world. Understanding the leisure satisfaction of college students who participate in sports tourism can provide a different perspective on the field. This study examined the effects of demographic characteristics, pre-event research of sports tourism destinations, and visiting of local attractions on the leisure satisfaction subscales in the psychological, educational, social, relaxation, physiological, and aesthetic categories. The results revealed that female students who participated in sports tourism had a significantly higher level of leisure satisfaction than males on the LSS educational and aesthetic subscales. Those who did research on sports tourism before attending a sports tourism event had a significantly higher level of leisure satisfaction on all subscales except for the physiological category. Lastly, those who experienced additional attractions and amenities had a significantly higher level of leisure satisfaction on the educational, social, relaxation, and aesthetic satisfaction compared with those who did not. Sports commissions and promoters need to make sure online information on additional amenities besides the sporting event can be easily found. The findings of this study should be considered by practitioners to promote of the aesthetic, social, educational, and relaxing aspects of the sports tourism locations.

Factors shaping spectators’ consumption patterns: controversial arisings from an international sport tourism event

PurposeSport events’ contribution to the destinations’ local economy implies in-depth knowledge of the economic benefits generated by non-resident spectators (NRS). Thus, this study aims to answer: What is the profile and shaping factors of the consumption patterns of the several types of NRS in international surf tourism events?Design/methodology/approachA total of 263 questionnaires applied to the NRS of an international surf event were collected and analysed. The identification of the NRS profile and the predictive factors of their total expenditure were performed through the correlation of factors and multiple linear regression, respectively.FindingsMostly, the event attracted generation Y NRS, with a high level of education and regular sport practice. The results showed differences among the NRS: the “casuals” included more women than men; the “extensioners” integrated the NRS whose surfing practice is higher; the “event visitors”/”time switchers” mostly integrated the domestic tourism flows; the “casuals” and “extensioners” spent the most at the destination, and those whose intention to recommend/revisit the destination, respectively, was higher; and the shaping factor that most influenced the increase in NRS expenditure was the overnight stay, added by older age, higher education level and foreign origin.Originality/valueRegardless of the initial motivation that led to the trip to the destination, the results verified that the event’s attributes are capable of contributing to the recommendation/visitation of the destination. Consequently, the study of economic benefits (tangible and intangible) provided by sport events in destinations should be guided by an integrative analysis of NRS.

Effects of Sports Event Tourism Service on Social Imagery and Socioeconomic Benefit

Current sports tourism market focuses on sports events. In terms of economic benefits, it does not simply create tourism output, but also increases consumption to further boost the economy and increase employment opportunities. Sports tourism present great influence on modern life, and hosting sports events allows the organizers enhancing exposure and visibility as well as resulting in considerable tourism receipts for the place. Sports events would increase tourists’ consumption in host places and create new job opportunities and considerable income. Selecting people in Fujian Province, with experience in sports event tourism, as the research samples, total 800 copies of questionnaire are distributed. After removing ones without participating in sports event tourism and invalid/incomplete copies, 423 copies are valid, with the retrieval rate 53%. The research results show that sports tourists could feel the service provided by sports event organizers through actual participation and perceive certain value to achieve satisfaction and further promote social imagery and socioeconomic benefit and sports tourists perceiving quality and complete tangible products or intangible services in the activity and consistent sports tourism activity to the expectation before participation would present the worthy feeling and value and further positively affect the social imagery. According to the results to propose discussions and suggestions, it is expected to affect the social imagery and social benefit of host places in the future events to present good service quality and benefit domestic relevant events in the future.

Constructing influencing factors of sport event image and their consequential effect on tourists

ABSTRACT Watching sport events at tourist destinations is an appealing attraction for tourists because it generates excitement and direct understanding of the event, as well as the destination. Thus, a good event image can motivate people to re-attend sport events, make priority choices among similar games and even attach their personal feelings to the events. However, few researchers have explored the factors affecting sport event images and its consequential effects, particularly in the post-pandemic era. In the current study, 417 valid questionnaires were collected by convenience sampling during the 68th Macao Grand Prix, and analysed by structural modelling, via SPSS23 and AMOS26. The results showed that travel motivation, tourist-resident interaction and event quality are all important factors that positively influence the event image, with event quality having the most significant effect. Subsequently, event images positively affect event attachment and loyalty. Considering that the continued coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic travel risk still exist, it was incorporated as a moderator, which revealed that it negatively moderated the relations between event images, attachment and loyalty. This study supplements theoretical defects in sport event tourism by enriching the causes and effects of event images, and provides practical suggestions for sport event policymakers, planners and tourism managers.

STRATEGY TO IMPROVE SPORTS TOURISM IN THE JAKABARING SPORT CITY AREA, PALEMBANG CITY

Jakabaring Sport City (JSC) in Palembang, South Sumatera Province has become the largest centralized sport complex in Asia. This sport complex is the host of PON XVI 2004, SEA GAMES XXVI 2011 and ASIAN GAMES XVIII 2018. With the presence of several mega events, the Jakabaring Sport City (JSC) is one of the centres of international standard sport and tourism activities in Indonesia. Based on the data from Dinas Pemuda dan Olahraga, Palembang City, the number of international sporting events held in Jakabaring Sport City (JSC) has increased from 2015 by 14 events until 2019 increase to 3 events. From the existence of this matter, this research aims to study the actual development and potential in the tourism sector. The method used in this research is descriptive method by obtaining qualitative. And data collection techniques using literature studies. The data that has been obtained is than analyzed using an interactive analysis method by wich researchers are required to conduct data collection activities, data reduction, data presentation, and finally conclusions are obtained. This research resulted in an assessment direction on strategies to increase sport activities especially to increase the sport tourism events in Jakabaring Sport City (JSC), Palembang city

Sports Brands and Tourism: Unexpected Perspectives of Mutual Development

Objective: This paper takes the World Cup in Qatar as a case study to study how sports brands and sports tourism development are mutually beneficial, focusing on the development of sports tourism, the marketing strategy of sports brands, and the mutual influence and complementary relationship between the two. Investigate the development of the global sports tourism market in recent years, analyze the characteristics of sports tourism products and services, and discuss the attractiveness and value-added effects of sports events as tourism destinations. Methods: This study uesd the event analysis method for research. Choose the Qatar World Cup as the research object, regard it as an important sports tourism event and sports brand marketing event. Citations from related articles provided the basis for this study. This approach can provide insight into the performance and impact of the combination of sports tourism and sports branding at the World Cup in Qatar, making a meaningful contribution to the research field. Results: The research results showed that there are some problems in sports tourism at present, but the future development potential is huge, especially after the epidemic is over. Sports tourism will usher in rapid development. The combination of tourism and sports can not only enhance the popularity of tourist destinations but also bring huge economic benefits. To sum up, the conclusion of this paper is that the combination of sports brands and tourism has broad market prospects. Conclusion: The combination of sports tourism and sports brands played an important role in the World Cup in Qatar and had a profound impact on the promotion of sports tourism destinations and the dissemination of sports brands. Through the research, the following conclusions can be drawn sports tourism is an important platform for sports brand promotion, and the global communication of sports brands has helped sports tourism to enhance its popularity. However, in the combination of sports tourism and sports brands, Qatar also faces some challenges, such as seasonal factors and cultural differences, which require the entire sports tourism industry to continuously explore solutions.

The origins of the Canadian Birkebeiner Ski Festival: invented traditions, winter sportscapes, and heritage sport tourism in sustainability and the UNESCO Beaver Hills Biosphere

ABSTRACT The Canadian Birkebeiner Ski Festival emerged as the world’s third Birkebeiner cross-country ski loppet in 1985, emulating the Norwegian Birkebeiner and the American Birkebeiner. This study examines the early years of the Canadian Birkebeiner as a heritage sport tourism event with routes near Edmonton, Alberta, that became an annual festival and attraction in western Canada. Invented tradition, sportscapes, and heritage sport tourism are a conceptual frame to analyse how the Festival represented the Birkebeiner legends, how skiers and skiing constituted landscapes, and how the event contributed to sustainability. The Canadian Birkebeiner resulted in a winter sport festival and sportscape that shaped cross-country skiing, trails, and public lands, and was indicative of fluid social relations and rural place making by means of skiing. Based on archival and oral history sources, the study argues the Canadian Birkebeiner was an invented tradition that originated with a ski loppet instrumental in the negotiation of terrain for cross-country skiing that contributed to winter sportscapes and heritage sport tourism in the Cooking Lake-Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area, and, ultimately, within the UNESCO Beaver Hills Biosphere. It contributes to studies of winter events with local and broader implications for sustainable heritage tourism.

A literature review of sports tourism research: knowledge graph analysis based on CiteSpace visualization

ABSTRACT The integration of sports and tourism has produced many research results, but the emergence of new disciplines has also brought about confusion in academic context. Using bibliometric analysis method, this paper analyzes the knowledge graph of 379 articles on ‘sports tourism’ collected from 2013 to 2021. It is found that the research hotspot of sports tourism mainly focuses on the concept of sports tourism, the theory of sports tourism, the case study of sports tourism, and the scale of sports tourism industry. From the branch evolution path analysis, it is found that sports tourism research mainly focuses on tourism nostalgia research, sports tourism risk perception research, sports tourism event development, sports tourism sustainable development and so on. Finally, the future research trend is prospected reasonably.

Sport Event Tourism Organizations and Resilience Theory: A Systematic Literature Review

The growing sport event tourism sector generates substantial socioeconomic impacts for host destinations. However, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted this industry, resulting in a dramatic decline in international tourist arrivals of 20–30% globally and the cancellation/postponement of sport tourism events. An emerging topic within organizational management theory is that of "resilience," which relates to how organizations proactively adapt to and recover from disturbances in the system. This study therefore aimed to determine existing applications of resilience theory to the sport event tourism industry to assess its usefulness for these organizations as they seek to recover from COVID-19. This article focuses on the first stage of this study, reflecting the findings of a systematic literature review of articles relating to sport event tourism and organizational resilience ( N = 164). A qualitative analysis revealed the lack of application of this theory to this sector. A deeper analysis revealed the unique industry challenges and opportunities relating to organizational resilience for sport event tourism in times of global crises. The study extends the conceptualization and application of resilience theory to the sport event tourism field of study. Drawing from this theory, it informs sport event tourism best practice in terms of preparedness for future crises and outlines an agenda for further research in this field.

Sustainable marketing activities, event image, perceived value and tourists’ behavioral intentions in the sports tourism

PurposeThis study constructs the influence mechanism model of sustainable marketing activities (SMAs), event image, commemorative product perceived value and tourists’ behavioral intentions (TBIs) in the sports tourism context of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games. Additionally, the article discusses the role of event image and product perceived value in enhancing the SMAs’ effect on TBIs.Design/methodology/approachThe research analyzed 315 valid questionnaires from tourists in the Chinese market by structural equation modeling.FindingsThe results indicate that SMAs positively impact sports tourism event image, tourists’ perceived commemorative product value and TBIs. Meanwhile, event image and product perceived value mediate the SMAs and TBIs relationship.Research limitations/implicationsConsidering SMAs as essential for sustainable development, this paper contributes to the strategic management discipline. Additionally, the research expands the analysis of event image and product perceived value in the brand theory and customer behavior research.Practical implicationsThe article outlines the principal value of SMAs implementation in enhancing behavioral intentions. It also reveals that a favorable event image and good perceived value can enhance SMAs’ effectiveness toward positively influencing TBIs, especially purchase intentions. It provides a new vision for nonprofit organizations to prioritize SMAs’ implementation in marketing strategies.Originality/valueIt is pioneering work with a complex research framework for SMAs implementation in the sports tourism context.

Sport Tourism, Regional Development, and Urban Resilience: A Focus on Regional Economic Development in Lake Toba District, North Sumatra, Indonesia

The focus of this research is to identify the dynamics of regional economic development through digital trends towards tourist visits and the promotion of tourist destinations in the Lake Toba area during the F1 Powerboat World Championship (F1H2O) event on Lake Toba, North Sumatra, Indonesia. Through the conduct of online research methods (ORMs) in diagnosing digital social issues and trends regarding the events, the results show that there was an effort to maximize the increase in regional economic development, by utilizing the potential and attractiveness of holding the F1 Powerboat as part of sports tourism. As an event aims to spur the movement of domestic tourists to super-priority destination areas, the implementation of the F1 Powerboat event is not only a driving force in the recovery and improvement of the local economy after the COVID-19 Pandemic, but also a venue for the promotion of other tourist destinations in North Sumatra. However, the positive impacts of this event organization on sustainable economic growth in the surrounding areas is not without reservations. The event has received some negative feedback, which include the problems of event preparation and implementation, and also the limited awareness of local community tourism. This research suggests that in order to achieve sustainable regional development and urban resilience, the future organization of sport tourism events should not only focus on the economic objectives, but also on the other aspects including socio-cultural and environmental perspectives.

The role of sports events in developing tourism destinations: a systematized review and future research agenda

ABSTRACT The link between sports and tourism has been widely researched. In this context, many studies have focused on sports event (SEs), finding that SEs provide a multitude of opportunities but also face many challenges at a local level. Despite the academic interest in the sports event tourism field, there is still little synthesis and no overview of research directions. Therefore, we proposed answering three research questions (RQs): What do we know today about the tourism perspectives of sports events? (RQ1); What are the main tourism implications of a sports event? (RQ2); What are the most and least investigated streams of research in this specific field of study? (RQ3). To answer these questions we conducted a systematized literature analysis including worldwide literature published between June 2000 and October 2020. Based on the findings, we provided insights into six clusters and their characteristics and highlighted major avenues to describe how SEs provide unique assets for tourism host destinations. Finally, we drew attention to important implications for future research, particularly in the context of the role of events for tourism recovery in the post-COVID-19 time.