The effect of attractiveness of destinations on the mental image of sports tourists with the mediating role of perceived usefulness

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Professor of the entire Department of Sports Management,Faculty of sports science،University of Urmia

2 Graduate student Sports Management,Faculty of sports science،University of Urmia

3 Associate Professor of the entire Department of Sports Management,Faculty of sports science،University of Urmia

Abstract

This research was conducted in order to investigate the effect of attractiveness of destinations on the mental image of sports tourists with the mediating role of perceived usefulness. The current research is applied in terms of purpose and in terms of descriptive-surveillance type of structural equations. The statistical population of the research included all sports tourists who traveled to the northwestern provinces of the country (West Azerbaijan, East Azerbaijan, Ardabil) as a sports tourism destination in 2024, the criteria for their selection was participation in a sports event and activity that were evaluated at each location. Considering the unlimited population based on Morgan's table, the sample size of 383 people was selected using the available sampling method. Based on Morgan's table, the sample size of 383 people was selected using available stratified sampling. The data collection tools are standard questionnaires of attractiveness of tourist destinations (Das et al., 2007), mental image of tourists (Kim and Pardo, 2011) and perceived usefulness (Sad and Bali, 2005). Content validity and construct validity were confirmed by 10 sports management professors, while composite reliability, convergent validity and divergent validity of the instrument were also checked using factor analysis method. PLS v.3 and Spss v.22 software were used to analyze the data. The results indicate that the attractiveness of sports tourism destinations has a positive and significant effect on the mental image of tourists. Also, perceived usefulness as a mediator can affect the attractiveness of sports tourism destinations and the mental image of tourists. Therefore, destinations that can provide a positive and attractive experience for tourists are likely to create a more positive mental image. This can ultimately lead to an increase in the number of visitors and further development of sports tourism in that destination.

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History

  • Receive Date: 26 November 2023
  • Revise Date: 12 December 2023
  • Accept Date: 08 January 2024

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