Modeling the Drivers of Family Tourism with a Sports Tourism Approach
Keywords:
family tourism with a sports tourism approach, Family tourism, sports tourismAbstract
The present study aimed to design and test a structural model explaining the drivers influencing the development of family tourism based on a sports tourism approach. This applied study employed a descriptive–correlational design using structural equation modeling. The statistical population consisted of 384 sports tourists participating in sporting events with their families, selected through convenience sampling. Data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire containing 44 items measured on a five-point Likert scale. Descriptive statistics and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) were used for data analysis. Reliability, convergent validity, and model fitness indicators were assessed. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS and SmartPLS version 3 software. Structural model results indicated that economic infrastructural characteristics, technological capacity and sports tourism potential, socio-cultural factors, sports facilities, and health and wellness exerted significant positive effects on family tourism with a sports tourism orientation (p<0.05). Socio-cultural factors demonstrated the strongest explanatory power among predictors. The overall goodness-of-fit index (GOF=0.765) confirmed strong model adequacy and substantial explanatory capability of the proposed framework. The findings suggest that sustainable development of family sports tourism depends on an integrated multidimensional strategy combining economic infrastructure improvement, technological advancement, enhancement of sports facilities, promotion of health-oriented travel experiences, and strengthening socio-cultural engagement. Family sports tourism can therefore function as an effective mechanism for promoting mass sport participation, strengthening family cohesion, stimulating tourism demand, and improving social well-being, providing practical guidance for policymakers and planners in sport and tourism development.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Bahareh Amini (Author); Tayebeh Zargar; Shahram A'lam, Hassan Ghasemalipour (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
