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PurposeThis paper aims to identify factors that affect the sports tourism destination's competitiveness on a small island. Hence, this study looks at and evaluates these factors. The study then comes up with a model that clarifies the interrelationships between these factors.Design/methodology/approachThe authors broke down the data analysis process into three steps. The first step was to conduct a literature review and use industry and academia experts' help to determine the essential aspects (fuzzy Delphi method). Then, a hierarchical model was developed, and the factors were categorised using the interpretive structural modelling (ISM) approach. Factors' driving and dependency power were also determined using MICMAC analysis.FindingsThis work has identified 13 key factors related to the sports tourism destination's competitiveness on a small island. For a small island like Kish Island, the two independent variables (government support and destination political stability) that define the institutional framework for the destination are most important. Building corresponding competitive and support strategies to address these two independent variables is thus beneficial.Research limitations/implicationsThe research's results provide decision-makers, practitioners, and researchers with new insights into the hierarchical model of determinants. The study will fill the existing gap between theory and practice.Practical implicationsSports tourism destination managers on small islands may benefit from the proposed model since the model will enable them to organise the managers' priorities better to enhance the managers' destinations' competitiveness and provide tourists with a more accurate depiction of the destination.Originality/valueAccording to the authors' knowledge, the research design presented in this article has provided the first attempt to hierarchical analyse these factors and develop a model for sports tourism destination competitiveness on small islands and destinations with less-developed economies. This study fills the gap in the destination competitiveness and sports tourism literature by not only identifying the key influencing factors but also examining the interactions between these factors and providing empirical evidence supporting their relationships.

The paper discusses methodological and spatial features of an important segment of the recreational and tourist activities - active sport tourism - in terms of geospatial approach (on the example of Ukraine). Geospatial approach is considered by the author as the most appropriate methodological approach to the study of active sport tourism geography, as active sport tourism resources are represented, first of all, by the territory and some of located objects, primarily natural and infrastructure facilities. These objects play a dual role in sports tourism. Second, these are attractive objects which tourists want to see: beautiful peaks, glaciers, icefalls, lakes, waterfalls etc. These individual sports tourism objects are “thread” on the lines of sports tourism routes that may be considered as the linear forms of sports tourism activity. Each category of route difficulty corresponds to a certain set of local and extensive obstacles by type, number and category of difficulty. The network of sports tourism routes with extremely attractive objects constitutes sports tourism region. Every active sport tourism region has own specialization in one or more types of sports tourism. If active sport tourism region is considered only as recipient of tourist flows, it acts as the active sport tourism region-destination. Regionalization of Ukraine in terms of certain taxonomic levels (zone - region (region-destination) - hub - object) is an important result of human-geographical study of active sport tourism in Ukraine. Seven active sport tourism zones have been identified in Ukraine based on the defined criteria. Each zone contains from 2 to 4 active sport tourism regions. Empirical studies have been conducted in the Carpathian mountainous active sport tourism region (research tourist groups).

Purpose – Sports tourism is one of the fastest-growing tourism sectors. Based on the uses and gratifications theory, this study investigates how different characteristics (i.e., information, entertainment, and engagement value) of destination management organisations’ (DMO) social media posts on sports tourism influence potential sports tourists’ social media usage, booking intentions, and intentions to spread positive word of mouth (WOM) about the destination. Methodology – We collected the study data through a combination of an online survey and paper-and-pencil questionnaires and used PLS-SEM to analyse the hypothesised relationships. Findings – Our results demonstrate that a high information value of a DMO’s post triggers booking intentions, while posts additionally need to have a high engagement value when it is also important to increase social media users’ WOM, and a third post characteristic – entertainment value – is essential when future social media usage intentions are to be increased. Originality of the research – The results of our study enable DMOs to choose the most critical post characteristics (information, entertainment, and engagement value) according to the respective objective pursued with their social media communication (i.e., increasing booking intentions, WOM, or future social media usage intentions). Prior research has not provided such insights that can enhance communication strategies.

Sport tourism is a fast-growing segment of tourism offering new perspectives and supporting travelers’ behavior shift towards active living that is a boost for sustainable destinations. These interrelations between active living, active travelling, and sport tourism have a powerful environmental, economic, and social impact. Based on the recognized contribution of sport tourism in sustaining destinations, the current paper aims to (a) explore the state of sport tourism in the Adriatic–Ionian Region by identifying existing sport tourism initiatives, (b) analyze the current and future potentials of sport tourism in the area’s sustainable growth, and (c) draw policy recommendations for sport tourism development in the region with a view to support the wider vision of sustainability. The review of existing sport tourism cases, revealing an existing investment towards this tourism form, was followed by a qualitative survey of the area’s tourism stakeholders (Greece, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Albania, Montenegro, Serbia). Results reveal that sport tourism is estimated to help in building a unique identity closely linked to sustainability goals—the area represents a great natural and cultural beauty that can be emphasized by sport initiatives, while, once such efforts are incorporated in wider sustainability plans, the destinations’ profiles can be significantly upgraded.

In recent years, the awareness of sustainable tourism has risen around the world. Many tourism industries combine sports to attract more customers to facilitate the development of the economy and the promotion of local culture. However, it is an important task to establish a comprehensive tourism evaluation framework for sustainable sports tourism. This study proposes a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) model to discuss the above issues, using the Bayesian Best Worst Method (Bayesian BWM) to integrate multiple experts’ judgments to generate the group optimal criteria weights. Next, the modified Visekriterijumska Optimizacija i Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR) technique is combined with the concept of aspiration level to determine the performance of sports attractions and their priority ranks. In addition, this study adds a perspective of institutional sustainability to emphasize the importance of government support and local marketing. The effectiveness and robustness of the proposed model is demonstrated through potential sports tourism attractions in Taiwan. A sensitivity analysis and models comparison were also performed in this study. The results show that the proposed model is feasible for practical applications and that it effectively provides some management implications to support decision-makers in formulating improvement strategies.

This research study aims to examine the mediating effect of perceived impact of sport tourism (PIST), and support for sport tourism (SSTD), and the moderating effect of tourism dependency. Data was collected from 467 local residents using a paper-based survey. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was employed to test the research model and hypotheses. The findings indicate that both place image and PIST positively influence SSTD. PIST fully mediates the relationship between knowledge about tourism and SSTD, and partially mediates the relationship between place image and SSTD. Additionally, tourism dependency moderates the relationship between place image and SSTD, as well as between PIST and SSTD. These findings highlight the significance of place image and PIST for SSTD among residents and suggest that residents with and without tourism-related businesses may perceive sport tourism development differently. The study’s findings offer valuable insights for local tourism planning and policymaking. Plain language summary How local view on place image and tourism knowledge affect support for sport tourism development, with a focus on tourism dependence This study explores how local residents perceive the impacts of sports tourism and how these perceptions influence their support for sports tourism development. It also examines whether reliance on tourism income affects these relationships. Using survey responses from 467 residents, the study found that a positive image of the local area and perceptions of sports tourism benefits encourage support for its development. Residents with more knowledge about tourism rely on their perceptions of its impacts to decide whether to support it. Additionally, those who depend on tourism income are more likely to support sports tourism, even if they recognize some negative effects. These findings provide practical insights for local residents, local authorities, and government ministries to enhance sports tourism planning by addressing community needs and promoting sustainable development. Engaging residents through community meetings and workshops fosters involvement and addresses concerns. Strategies should highlight benefits like job creation for tourism-dependent residents or improved public amenities for others. Local authorities can educate residents on the advantages of sport tourism and build partnerships to align projects with community needs. Ministries, such as Tourism and Youth & Sports, can provide funding, policy support, and guidance to ensure sustainable growth.

Sustainability and sustainable development are two fundamental principles that currently influence the way sport tourism activities, like those of any other socioeconomic area, are managed. For this reason, for some time, especially in the last decade, scholars have been wondering not only about the application methods of these two concepts in sport tourism but also how to communicate good practices among operators, residents, and tourists, and how to encourage the adoption of sustainable behaviours. Pro-sustainable attitudes are widespread, but they do not always convert into sustainable behaviour. Communication can intervene to favour these socio-cultural changes at an individual and collective level. This research is inspired by several studies and the most recent systematic literature reviews to identify communication methods and strategies that determine the tourism–sports experience, influencing the assumption or reinforcement of sustainable behaviours. This study attempted to configure a theoretical model of sustainable communication that can support the sustainable development of sport tourism. The goal is to understand how to create effective communication actions to raise the awareness of institutions and businesses, residents, and tourists towards the adoption of sustainable practices, and to encourage the promotion of sustainable initiatives in territories in support of the socioeconomic development of localities from an increasingly sustainable perspective.

Hainan, as a popular tourism destination, is well-promoted by the Chinese central government. In particular, both central and local governments encourage Hainan’s sport tourism-related professionals to develop sport tourism as one of the most important tourist activities in Hainan. However, previous research has not reported on Hainan’s sport tourism strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats as a tourism destination or a sports event host. This study uses SWOT analysis to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in the context of Hainan’s sport tourism development. A total of 12 dimensions, including branding, culture, finance, infrastructure, location, market, nature, policy, product, specialty, sustainability, and tourist were generated from our data analysis. In addition, a total of five future directions, including emphasizing event-oriented sport tourism, prioritizing sport motivation, identifying major sport tourism markets, making the rational use of sport tourism resources, and nurturing sport culture, are recommended as a result of this study.

This study aims to segment trail runners employing psychographic segmentation, specifically sport commitment, as an understudied variable in sport tourism. The purpose is to identify specific trail runner profiles. An online survey was made available via Facebook through sponsored advertisements in South Africa. The final sample consisted of n=412 trail runners. Three distinct segments were identified using cluster analysis: landscape seekers, sport devotees, and eco-group travelers. These segments differed significantly regarding the factors influencing their sport commitment, with cluster membership influenced by demographic characteristics, behavioral intentions, and sought-after event attributes. To foster the expansion of trail running events in South Africa, it is imperative to concentrate efforts on enhancing accessibility through diverse routes across varied terrains, implementing comprehensive training programs catering to runners of all levels, and deploying strategic marketing initiatives to raise awareness and participation.

Over the past three decades, numerous publications have examined the critical importance of resident support in promoting tourism development, but few of them have focused specifically on residents’ support in promoting (or not) Sport Tourism (ST) for the Sustainable Development (SD) of small islands in a climate-related context. Therefore, the aim of this article is to fill this gap by creating a quantitative model focusing on the social exchange theory adapted to this scientific object. Four specific variables have been explored, namely, positive attitude toward ST, perceptions of SD, and positive and negative perceptions of ST impacts on the SD of islands to test their positive correlation with three varied sets of intentions to support ST for the SD of La Réunion island, which is development, limitation-restriction, and taxation. This exploratory research compares data obtained from 435 questionnaires collected by convenience and snowball sampling from November 2022 to February 2023 from residents of La Réunion island. The results demonstrate that residents are divided in their intention to support ST for the SD of their island. Results also revealed that the more residents shared a positive perception of the impacts of ST and held positive perceptions of these impacts of ST on the SD of the island, the more likely they were to support the development of ST for promoting SD. Additionally, it was noted that the more residents’ held higher perceptions of SD and negative perceptions of ST impacts on SD, they were more inclined towards supporting limitation, restriction, and taxation. The results of this exploratory research may hence provide insight to drive the planning of ST for La Réunion Island by specifically contributing to the formulation of policies and regulations governing tourist activities during the higher season.