Rural sports and local games

Missing link between sports tourism development and sustainability

Bibliographic Data

ID21611515
AuthorsReza Mousavi (0000-0002-1990-7767, Department of Agricultural Economics, Extension and Education, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran), Maryam Omidi Najafabadi (0000-0003-1830-7660, Department of Agricultural Economics, Extension and Education, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran, corresponding author), S M Mirdamadi (0000-0001-8099-9464, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch), S J F Hosseini (0000-0002-1338-8783, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch)
Year2022
Volume26
Issue3
Pages201-223
Publication date2022-07-03
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Sport & Tourism (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1029-5399 • E-ISSN: 1477-5085
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/14775085.2022.2058069
OpenAlexW4220708765
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited51

The purpose of the present study was to design a model for the development of sustainable sports tourism based on rural sports and local games (RSLG) in Mazandaran province of Iran. The study was conducted using a mixed-method comprised of qualitative and quantitative phases. The qualitative phase utilized grounded theory and data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The collected data were analyzed in three stages of open, axial and selective coding and a model was developed based on the derived codes. The findings indicated that sustainable sports tourism development based on RSLG is influenced by six different categories: ‘policy-making’, ‘marketing’, ‘finance and support’, ‘religious and social participation’, ‘infrastructure’ and ‘management and planning’. In the quantitative phase, partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to validate the model. The statistical population of this phase included the organizational staff operating in the fields of tourism and sport, organized coaches, referees and athletes of rural sports in Mazandaran. The findings of this phase revealed that the categories of ‘policy-making’ (0.461), ‘marketing’ (0.351), ‘financial and supporting’ (0.303), ‘religious and social participation’ (0.318), ‘infrastructure’ (0.166) and ‘management and planning’ (0.506) affect the independent variable sustainable sports tourism development based on RSLG

Business · Political science · Population · Qualitative property · Sociology · Sports tourism · Structural equation modeling · Sustainability · Sustainable development · Tourism · Tourism geography · Computer Science · Recreation, Leisure, Wilderness Management · Sport and Mega-Event Impacts · Sports, Gender, and Society · Marketing

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