Factors influencing people’s behavioral motivation to travel for sport tourism in Thailand

Abstract

Sport tourism is a combination of sport and tourism that has gained increasing attention among multiple parties, government, academics, and market participants. Sport tourism has showed a positive business outlook that can support Thai tourism sector’s sustainable development. However, current research is more focused on the concept of sport tourism, less emphasized on sport tourist’s motivation. This study used quantitative method with the tool of ordered logit regression and descriptive analysis with figures and tables to investigate the factors that can influence people’s motivation to travel for sport tourism in Thailand. A questionnaire including questions related to social demographic, travel & sport, sport tourism destination and sport tourism motivation scale was applied to collect original data. This study found that the image of sport tourism destination and quality of sport tourism offer can influence people’s motivation. Tourist’s features: such as pursuing sport event’s competition, concerning convenience of transportation, preferring to travel with companion and improving relationship with family, can give enlightenment for sport event and sport destination management, and improve sport tourism practitioner ‘s understanding of sport tourist’s portrait and thoughts.