Sport Tourism Destination Research Articles

Spatial Characteristics of Sports Tourism Destination System Based on Data Fusion and Data Mining

With the development of information technology around the world, the research on the integration of data mining and data fusion is becoming more and more in-depth. In recent years, sports tourism has developed better and better, with the growing demand for tourism, and the tourism industry has developed by leaps and bounds. Tourism is a new economic growth point in many regions. But it also faces many challenges from both internal and external sources. The tourism destination system is an extremely important subsystem in the tourism system. The quality of its spatial structure not only affects the quality of tourism activities, but also affects the effective operation of the tourism function of the destination system. This paper studies the spatial characteristics of sports tourism destination system based on data fusion and data mining technology. The external environment of sports tourism development, the distribution of sports tourism resources, and the spatial structure of sports tourism are deeply studied by using Gini coefficient, nearest neighbor index, and other technical methods. A questionnaire was also designed to study the physical activity preferences of different age groups. The results show that the nearest neighbor index R of fitness sports tourism destinations is less than 1, which is in a clustered distribution state. The main group of sports tourism activities is mainly concentrated in the age group of 16–45.

Towards the Development of an Innovative Sustainable Sports Tourism Management Framework for Portugal

Sport tourism assumes an increasingly important role in the world tourism panorama, being seen by several nations as a strategic catalyst for the individual and collective emancipation of territories and their communities. The growing synergy between sports and the tourism sector and its potential as a strategic tourism product for the sustainable development of destinations has long been acknowledged; so much so that it has given rise to the positioning of a highly competitive and complex sector, transcending far beyond the organization of sporting events. In Portugal, Sports Tourism has experienced profound growth over the last decade, now estimated to be worth between 10% and 25% of total international travel and tourism revenues (PwC, 2021). While sports tourism presents valuable opportunities for further destination development and growth driving many positive outcomes in local economies, it can also be viewed as an important factor for the promotion and international recognition of these same territories. As a result, Destination Management Organizations (DMO) and other key stakeholder have begun to place an increased focus on the use of sports to promote and improve Portugal's positioning as a sports tourism destination. This research, while in its early stages, recognises a current gap in knowledge in relation to the development of existing frameworks or strategies implemented and applied by DMO’s or policy makers within destinations to effectively develop and manage a sustainable and competitive sport tourism offering. However, in light of the challenges faced by destinations during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is a necessity that destinations look to develop and plan for sports tourism in a sustainable manner. This research therefore sets forth to contribute to new knowledge in relation to the development of an innovative Sustainable Sports Tourism Management Framework for Portugal with the aim to propose a new comprehensive conceptual framework for the effective sustainable development and management of sports tourism in Portugal.

Potensi Wisata Pantai Glagah sebagai Destinasi Wisata Olahraga di Kabupaten Kulon Progo Yogyakarta

Glagah beach tourism potential as a sports tourism destination in Kulon Progo District Yogyakarta. As an effort to maximize the tourism potential of Glagah Kulon Progo Beach, Yogyakarta Special Region is a sports tourism destination. The research method used qualitative methods, namely data collected from research including, observation, documentation then analyzed descriptively and literature review from various sources. The importance of structuring, managing tourist areas supported by tourism facilities and infrastructure supported by reliable human resources and optimizing the participation of the private sector or the public plus increased investment is an important factor in managing tourist attractions.

MEETING EXOTIC LANDSCAPES AND DELICATE NATURE OF THE INNER SELF: TWO SIDES OF THE “VIE AU GRAND AIR” NEAR “GÉANT DE PROVENCE” (FRANCE)

Purpose. The purpose of this paper is to identify an intelligible network of human activities that are dedicated to health tourism and sports tourism and that have been the subject of intercultural controversies generating innovations. Method. Developing an inter-disciplinary historical and mixed-method approach to a regional sustainable tourism project and describing how subjective well-being influences sport practices, body ecology and existential authenticity. Findings. A sport tourism destination allows an individual to, firstly, improve his or her state of corporeal health and, secondly, reveal a new mode of feeling that is not only about performance but also about the inner freedom and immersive vulnerability that are scarce but essential resources. Research and conclusions limitations. This case study is limited to a valley which is located on the northeast side of Mont Ventoux. Some comparisons will have to be made with other specific tourist sites that are closed to this valley. Practical implications. The authenticity of a tourist system cannot be content with artifices that are not closely shared with inhabitants. Therefore, the impact of innovations in rural areas requires taking archaeology of individual stories and collective histories into account. Stories and histories allow perceiving the outlines of sustainable tourism where growth in consumption is associated with the maintenance, protection and diversification of bio-ecosystems. Originality. Innovations which emerge in a hinterland have to be tested from the authentic perspective of people coming from elsewhere and who cross the authentic views of the people of here. Then, when a hinterland agrees to open itself to the strangeness of what is foreign to it, a fundamental process is to be encouraged: the that recognises the different forms of heritage that make up the identity of this hinterland. Type of paper. Case study.

한 · 중 해양스포츠 관광 목적지 선택 및 제약요인 탐색

This study is to research the choice and restriction factors of marine sports tourism destination in Korea and China and to find out the difference of the deducted factors between the two countries. he data for the research purpose were collected from normal people in Seoul, marine sports tourists in Yeosu-si, normal people in Beijing, China and marine sports tourists in Sanya, China with the use of open-ended questionnaire, and the collected data were classified into raw data, detail region and general region according to the similarity of concepts after the meeting of experts with the use of inductive content analysis. The results of this study are follows. 1) The highest factor of destination choice of normal people in Korea is service followed by environment, consumption level and image. The highest restriction factor of destination choice is structural restriction followed by environmental, economic, interpersonal and personal restrictions. Meanwhile, the highest factor of destination choice of normal Chinese people is environment followed by service, consumption level and image. The highest restriction factor of destination choice is structural restriction followed by environmental, economic, personal and interpersonal restrictions. 2) The highest factor of destination choice of marine sports tourists in Korea is environment followed by service, consumption level and image. The highest restriction factor of destination choice is environmental restriction, followed by structural, economic, personal and interpersonal restrictions. The highest factor of destination choice of marine sports tourists in China is environment, followed by service, image, consumption level. The highest restriction factor of destination choice is structural restriction followed by environmental, economic, interpersonal and personal restrictions.

The Effect of Brand Equity and Brand Resonance on Tourist Decisions Visiting the 2018 Asian Games Legacy of Jakabaring Sport City as a Sport Tourism Destination

The development of the Jakabaring Sport City Area is inseparable from the appointment of Palembang as the host of various large-scale sporting events, starting at the national level, at the Asian level, even at the world level. With its image as a sports city, Jakabaring Sport City in Palembang is made a sports tourism destination by the central government, through the Ministry of Tourism. But in reality, this area has not been maximally utilized as a sport tourism destination. From several phenomena and literature, researchers find the importance of the influence of Brand Equity and Brand Resonance on tourists' decisions to visit the 2018 Asian Games Legacy Jakabaring Sport City as a sport tourism destination. This research is a quantitative study with a sampling technique in the form of purposive sampling. In this study data analysis was performed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis which was operated through the Analysis of Moment Structure (AMOS) program. Data obtained through questionnaires, will then be analyzed to obtain answers to the hypotheses in this study. The results of this study include (1) Brand Equity positively influencing the decision of tourists to visit the 2018 Asian Games Legacy Jakabaring Sport City (JSC) as a Sport Tourism Destination. Then, (2) Brand Resonance has a positive effect on the decision of tourists to visit the 2018 Asian Games Legacy Jakabaring Sport City (JSC) as a Sport Tourism Destination. Furthermore, (3) Brand Equity and Brand Resonance have a positive effect on the decision of tourists to visit the 2018 Asian Games Legacy of Jakabaring Sport City (JSC) as a Sport Tourism Destination through marketing events as a mediating variable, but have not been able to become a factor that can increase respondents' visiting decisions.

Application of Delphi-AHP-DEA-FCE Model in Competitiveness Evaluation of Sports Tourism Destination

Application of Delphi-AHP-DEA-FCE Model in Competitiveness Evaluation of Sports Tourism Destination

THE PREDICTORS OF SPORTS TOURISM INVOLVEMENT IN MALAYSIA: AN EXTREME SPORT OVERVIEW

Purpose of Study: Malaysian tourism sector has widened its scope by venturing into extreme sports tourism. With this new development, tourism opportunities are created and boosting the Malaysian tourism industry growth. The study highlights the development of extreme sports destination that closely related to international and tourists’ involvement and preferences in Malaysia. The purpose of this paper is to determine the predictors of sports tourism involvement in Malaysia from the extreme sports perspective. Specifically, it is going to investigate the possible significant predictors that possibly influenced the international or local tourists’ preferences in choosing Malaysia as their preferred extreme sports tourism destination. This study is restricted to international or local tourists who participated or going to participate in extreme sports activities in Malaysia.
 Methodology: This study proposes a theoretical framework that is developed based on the review of past researches and literatures. We identified five factors that possibly influenced international tourists or local tourists to choose Malaysia as their extreme sports tourism destination simultaneously involved in such activities. Those predictors are event popularity and entertainment, economics (costs and expenses), facilities and infrastructures, social, and environmental impact.
 Results: The proposed hypotheses predicted a significant and positive relationship exists between event popularity and entertainment, economics (costs and expenses), facilities and infrastructures, social, and environmental impact towards the tourist involvement and sports tourism development in Malaysia. For the future research, we proposed to further conduct an empirical analysis to test these hypotheses.
 Implications/Applications: This study could help tourism sectors to explore opportunities for development particularly in the extreme sports sectors in Malaysia. This study is also useful for researchers, students, tourism operators, tourism sectors, government and society because it could increase the involvement of international tourist or local into the extreme sports activities in Malaysia.

Montenegro as High-Quality Sports Tourism Destination- Trends and Perspectives

Montenegro as High-Quality Sports Tourism Destination- Trends and Perspectives

Expect amazing! Branding Qatar as a sports tourism destination

This article focuses on the ways in which, after its successful bid to host the ‘mega event’ of World Cup 2022, Qatar is branded as a sports tourism destination in the online semioscape and linguascape of sports events. The promotional multimodal digital material that Qatar has already released to launch its ambitious sports-related projects in both its English and Arabic versions is analysed from a critical perspective of multimodal discourse analysis and social semiotics, focusing on image making. This includes the strategic use of symbolic and material markers that construct Qatar as a distinctive destination offering its visitors high quality sports while also being good value for money as it brings the world to its visitors through sports, inter alia. Finally, the argument put forward is that Qatar constructs a politically appealing and distinctive campaign, oscillating between tradition-driven utopia and the remarkably transformed modern landscape of the country.

The relationship between sport tourists’ perceived value and destination loyalty: an experience-use history segmentation approach

ABSTRACTUnderstanding active sport tourists’ profiles and nurturing their destination loyalty are important considerations in the tourism market. Loyal tourists are valuable because they tend to revisit a focal destination and elicit positive word-of-mouth. Focusing on a snow-based active sport tourism context, this study was conducted to examine (1) the usefulness of experience-use history (EUH) as a segmentation tool and (2) the relationship between perceived value factors (i.e. quality, emotional response, monetary price, behavioral price, and destination reputation) and destination loyalty in each EUH group. Data were collected from the Niseko ski resort in Japan (N = 328). Based on the EUH variables (i.e. length and frequency of snow-based sport participation), participants were categorized into four segments (i.e. novice, short-active, long-inactive, and expert). The results showed significant differences among EUH groups in terms of their socio-demographics (e.g. gender, age, and income). A series of regression analyses also showed that each segment’s destination loyalty was uniquely enhanced by perceived value factors. Specifically, perceived quality was a significant antecedent of destination loyalty for sport tourists in the novice group. For those in the short-active, long-inactive, and expert groups, perceived emotional response significantly predicted destination loyalty. Perceived reputation of the destination was also important to enhance destination loyalty for the short-active group whereas perceived monetary price was positively associated with the long-inactive group’s destination loyalty. Marketing managers in snow-based sport tourism destinations can utilize the findings to increase the loyalty of active sport tourists, which will improve their competitiveness in the marketplace.

Profile of practice, travel behaviour and motivations for geocaching

Geocaching is a recreational sport activity considered as a postmodern treasure hunting game. Associated with the movement to distant places, the search for new landscapes, culture and adventure, geocaching is being integrated into the tourism industry. In spite of its growth and economic significance, few studies have been developed to understand this sport tourism activity. Thus, this study was developed to understand the geocaching practice profile, geocaching travel behaviour and the motivations for the practice of geocaching, and to examine whether these variables are associated with the socio-demographic characteristics of geocachers. An online questionnaire survey was applied to geocachers living in Portugal, and 613 responses were obtained. The results show that geocaching is a recent sport activity in Portugal, whose motivations for practice are related to nature and escape, and that geocachers have a strong disposition to travel, highlighting the potential of geocaching for sport tourism. Statistical tests also revealed that socio-demographic characteristics are not associated with the geocaching practice profile and geocaching travel behaviour. However, the socio-demographic characteristics are associated with the motivations for the practice of geocaching, particularly when compared by sex, age and education level. Management and marketing implications for sport tourism operators and destinations are discussed.

Sports tourism development and destination sustainability: the case of the coastal area of the Aveiro region, Portugal

ABSTRACTThere is increasing awareness of the importance of sustainability in sports tourism. Research in this field is nevertheless still limited and is mostly confined to specific areas such as mega-events. The adoption of sustainable management practices by companies offering sports tourism products has been widely neglected. This paper aims to extend previous research by analysing the adoption of sustainable management practices by small and medium enterprises offering sports tourism products, specifically across five sustainability dimensions – economic, sociocultural, environmental, policy, and technological. The methodological approach used in this study is qualitative in nature. A series of 15 face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with company managers offering sports tourism activities in the coastal area of the Aveiro region in the centre of Portugal. The discourses were content-analysed and the findings reveal that these companies have already adopted certain sustainability management practices in the analysed dimensions. They are likely to hire local people, to establish some partnerships and work with other companies (e.g. accommodation providers), to limit the number of participants in each group in order to avoid exceeding the carrying capacity, to involve local communities to some extent, and to use biodegradable products (e.g. fuels). Nonetheless, much still has to be done to increase their sustainable practices. It is important, among other features, to promote the use of a wider variety of environmental and technological practices and to increase awareness both of the relevance of promoting linkages and of avoiding leakages, namely by buying local products. Moreover, it is important to take advantage of the strong potential of sports tourism concerning social cohesion. The paper also identifies a large range of sustainable management practices, covering the five aforementioned sustainability dimensions, which may be useful to the managers of sports tourism companies and for the sustainable development of sports tourism destinations.

Community engagement in an international sailing event: the Monsoon Cup in Malaysia

PurposeThe aim of this study was to explore resident perceptions of, and engagement with a staged sport event, the Monsoon Cup. The Monsoon Cup is an international yachting regatta which is held annually in Terengganu, Malaysia and is strongly supported by their Federal Government to raise the country’s international profile as a popular sport tourism destination. Previous studies have reviewed residents’ attitudes towards tourism development and the factors that influence their perceptions. However, little research has been conducted on residents’ expectations, interests and needs in terms of a specific mega sport tourism event such as the Monsoon Cup.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative methodology using semi-structured interviews was the principal means of collecting data. The sample consisted of local residents living in Pulau Duyong, five kilometers from the capital of Terengganu. Thirty-six residents were interviewed with the majority being male (N= 28), with ages ranging from 20 to 73 years. A number of questions were developed and pilot tested before being posed to the study respondents about the annual staging of the Monsoon Cup. NVIVO 9.1 computer software package was used to code, compare and classify the major themes that recurred or were common in the data set.FindingsThe findings provided strong support for the critical importance of actively engaging local residents in the staging of such a large-scale event. In the first year of operation, many of the local residents of Pulau Duyong had enthusiastically participated in MC-related activities; however, the level of engagement had declined significantly in the recent years. In the future, every effort must be taken to focus on the development of better lines of communication and information dissemination with respect to the planning and actual staging of the annual event than is currently the case. Practical implications Community feedback suggested that key stakeholders involved in the staging of the Monsoon Cup have a critical role to play in the future in engaging local residents of Pulau Duyong more purposefully in the event itself. Greater effort must be made on the part of event organisers to actively recruit local residents to assist with the event planning, promotion and staging of the regatta. In addition, the distribution of brochures on a periodic basis to convey information about event-related activities and opportunities for community engagement were suggested to be a highly desirable first step.Practical implicationsCommunity feedback suggested that the event company involved in the staging of the Monsoon Cup had a critical role to play in engaging local residents of Pulau Duyong more purposefully in the event itself. In particular, effort needed to be focussed initially on the development of better lines of communication and information dissemination with respect to the planning and actual staging of the annual event than was currently the case.Originality/valueThis research will be of great benefit to the key stakeholders involved in the staging of the event, which includes local government, the event organisers, tourism professionals and community residents, by providing deeper insights into matters that residents expressed as being important. This will help to ensure that in the future, all stakeholders will be empowered contributors to the ongoing planning and annual staging of this international event.

Factors influencing sport tourists’ revisit intentions

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationships among destination image, perceived quality, perceived value, satisfaction and revisit intention of sport tourism in Iran.Design/methodology/approach– Statistical population of this research consisted of those tourists who traveled to Mazandaran province in Iran as a sport tourism destination in 2012. A random sample of 1,250 tourists was asked to respond to questionnaires from which 886 accurate questionnaires were used for analysing data. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to explore the relationships among the research variables.Findings– The results showed that sport tourists’ perception of destination image, perceived quality and perceived value influenced their satisfaction and revisit intention positively.Originality/value– The results of this research help to better understand the behavioral intentions, which can be an acceptable basis to increase sport tourists’ visit and revisit of a sport destination.

Sport cycling tourists’ setting preferences, appraisals and attachments

Landscapes and settings are important travel motivators, especially for sport tourism events. Understanding perceptions of sportscapes and travel motivations are essential for sport event organizers and destination managers’ to create sustainable and successful sport tourism events and destinations. This paper reports findings from a survey of active sport tourists’ engaged in Bike Fest, a small-scale competitive cycling tourism event held in Banff National Park, Canada during the shoulder tourism season. Enjoyment of Banff's destination attributes (mountains, nature) ranked second to engagement in competition and physical activity, followed by experiencing excitement and stimulation as reasons for visiting. Views on the destination's appropriateness as a site for racing and leisure travel, attachment to the destination, satisfaction with the destination and race venue, and racers’ preferences of other types of race settings were additional variables documented in this study. This paper expands our understanding of the role destination attributes play in active sport tourists’ travel decisions, and inform efforts to establish a sustainable sport tourism event. It examines event participants’ perspectives on the repurposing of a national park as a race event venue and recommends additional study of the intersection of course attributes, place appeal and attachment, competition, and performance as a valuable research direction which will support event and destination development, and visitor experience enhancement.

Competitiveness Study of Ski Sports Tourism Destination Based on Matlab Principal Component Analysis

Competitiveness Study of Ski Sports Tourism Destination Based on Matlab Principal Component Analysis

Adventure as a Cultural Foundation: Sport and Tourism in New Zealand

This article examines the cultural foundations of sport, tourism and sport tourism within the New Zealand context. Guided by sociologist Pierre Bourdieu's concepts, the theoretical perspective is that all practice is infused with and reflects culture. The article examines three iconic representatives who traverse the sport, tourism and sport tourism fields. The ‘distinction’ of their narratives highlights how cultural foundations have been (re)negotiated over the last hundred years. The All Blacks rugby team, mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary and A.J. Hackett Bungy Jumping are analysed in relation to prominent theoretical notions of each field and the pioneer mythology of New Zealand's post-colonial culture. Discussion focuses on the diverse, changing and renewed practices and narratives of these three cultural representatives. It is argued that in New Zealand, and potentially in other Western societies, the central cultural foundation of sport, tourism and sport tourism is the serendipity of practice and uncertainty of outcome – fundamentally, adventure. Sport tourism destinations and operators cannot rely on the replication of past events and practices for success. Although promotional narratives should link to past cultural myths or iconic representatives, sport tourism practice must provide the space and potential for uncertainty. The sustainability of sport tourism requires the packaging and framing of serendipity through the continual (re)invention of experience that facilitates adventure.

Sport tourism destinations: issues, opportunities and analysis

Sport tourism destinations: issues, opportunities and analysis

Developing Cyprus as a sport tourism destination: the results of a swot analysis

Recently, Cyprus was selected by the British Olympic Committee as the training area for athletic preparation for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. This move has prompted enthusiasm amongst tourism and sport organizations in Cyprus to expand its tourism industry to becoming a sport tourism market. However, as sport tourism is a relatively new concept in Cyprus, tourism and sport organizations have little knowledge and expertise in the service provision and administration of sport tourism services. The purpose of this study is to conduct a SWOT analysis examining the possibility of including sports tourism as one of the major pillars for strategic planning of tourism and sport in Cyprus. A focus group of six tourism and sport officials was conducted. The result revealed that: (1) there is some potential or prospects for the development of sport tourism in Cyprus as the strengths and opportunities are plenty, (2) the development of Cyprus as a sport tourism destination will require the collaborative efforts of all tourism and sports industries in Cyprus, (3) the Olympic Games of Athens 2004 can act as an opportunity to expose Cyprus as a sport tourism market to the international community, (4) internal weakness such as lack of expertise and training in the sport tourism industry would have to be overcome, and (5) proper strategic management would be required by all organizations involved to administer sport services accordingly. A call for more research is presented to provide further information on how to strategically plan for the development of sport tourism in Cyprus.