Design and Validation of a Sustainable Development Model for Sports Purposes Based on Tourist Behavior

Subject Areas : Innovation in Sports Management

negar matinnia ¹ , ابوالفضل فراهانی ² , mohsen bagrian farah abadi ³ , Ali-Mohammad Safania ⁴

1 - Department of Physical Education, Science and Research Unit, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
2 - Professor of Sports Management, Department of Sports Sciences, Payam Noor University, Tehran, Iran
3 - Department of Physical Education, Science and Research Unit, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
4 - Department of Physical Education, Science and Research Unit, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

Received: 2024-02-28 Accepted : 2024-05-06 Published : 2024-06-10

Keywords: Sports tourism, behavioral correspondences, sustainable development, environmental behaviors,

Abstract :

Objective: The aim of this research was to design and validate a sustainable development model for sports purposes based on tourist behavior. Method: This study employed a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative and quantitative methods. The qualitative study utilized grounded theory as the theoretical framework, while the quantitative study employed a descriptive-survey method. The qualitative sample consisted of stakeholders who were selected using snowball sampling technique, and 17 participants were chosen based on theoretical saturation. The quantitative sample included employees of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Tourism, employees of travel and tourism companies, sports tour organizers, and guides, with a sample size of 270 individuals selected through simple random sampling. Interviews were used as the qualitative research tool, while a questionnaire was utilized for the quantitative research. To assess the quality and validity of the qualitative findings, the evaluation criteria of Lincoln and Guba (1985), including credibility, transferability, dependability, and conformability, was employed. In the quantitative section, content validity, construct validity, and Cronbach's alpha were used. Findings: Based on the research findings, the behavioral correspondences of sports tourists with the goal of sustainable development for sports purposes were categorized into nine sub-dimensions and three main dimensions (core behaviors) under the titles of environmental behaviors, socio-cultural behaviors, and economic behaviors. All defining structures of these factors were confirmed and identified through factor analysis, indicating that the theoretical model possesses the necessary validity. Results: As observed, the behavioral objectives of sports tourists based on sustainable development for sports purposes emphasize the creation of balance in tourism development through environmental behaviors, socio-cultural behaviors, and economic behaviors.

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