A framework fostering commitment for endurance sport tourism in South Africa

Abstract

Endurance sport events form an important part of the sport tourism industry. Since these events act as a catalyst for tourism, it ensures economic benefits for the host destination and is more sustainable in the long-term. Endurance participants all share similar characteristics such as the will to excel, competitive nature, high levels of involvement, strong identification with the sport, willingness to adapt their lifestyle, perseverance, and determination. It can reasonably be anticipated that commitment forms the foundation of these athletes’ participation in sport. However, the commitment of endurance athletes is complex to measure, and therefore the previous literature has shown that to fully understand their commitment one should review other methods, apart from the well-known Sport Commitment Model (SCM), to comprehensively measure sport commitment. Although commitment has been measured from different perspectives, which has led to different models and theories, it has not been measured in a South African sport tourism perspective and has not included variables such as lifestyle, event attributes and travel behaviour. The aim of this study was therefore to develop a commitment framework for endurance sport tourism in South Africa. To achieve this aim, this study utilised an online survey targeting endurance athletes participating in South African events. The online survey was conducted from March to November 2015 where 498 questionnaires were collected. Furthermore, the aim of the study was realised by executing several objectives. The first five objectives were all achieved through literature reviews. The first objective was to analyse sport tourism by focusing on key stakeholders within the sport tourism industry and highlighting the importance of hosting sport events. The second objective was to examine the distinct characteristics of endurance sport events and athletes within a sport tourism context. Objective three entailed a critical analyses of the SCM, related theories and the complexity of sport commitment in an endurance sport context. The fourth objective was to analyse the current state of endurance sport tourism and events in South Africa. The fifth objective was to explore the methodological considerations applied in the study as well as to design a research framework for the study. The study’s sixth objective and its four sub-objectives focused on the results from the survey which were used for the descriptive and multivariate analyses. The last objective was to draw conclusions, make recommendations concerning the results of the study, and to propose a commitment framework for sport tourism in South Africa. The data from the results was analysed through SPSS software (SPSS version 23). Furthermore, AMOS, which is an added SPSS module, was used for the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) as well as mediation modelling. The results from the descriptive statistics revealed a detailed profile of endurance sport participants of various endurance events and disciplines in the country. Exploratory factor analyses determined the commitment, lifestyle, event attributes and travel behaviour factors of endurance athletes. The t-tests and ANOVAs revealed the specific determinants that either increased or decreased the commitment of endurance athletes. The first set of determinants were the internal influences which included socio-demographics, sport and event preferences, participation frequency as well as travel behaviour. The other three determinants were the behavioural factors and included lifestyle; event attributes, and travel behaviour. Each of these seven determinants had specific variables that had an effect on endurance athletes’ commitment. SEMs determined which factors had the strongest unique relation to sport commitment. The SEM models showed that to increase the commitment of endurance participants, one should focus on travel behaviour and lifestyle. Additionally, mediation models revealed travel behaviour and lifestyle are both mediators for the relationship between event attributes and commitment. This study has various contributions that are invaluable to sport tourism researchers, sport event organisers, sport destination managers, and sport governing bodies. This research firstly fills the gap in the endurance sport literature by proposing a commitment framework that considers various aspects within a South African sport context; but other developing countries can also implement this framework. The framework is ideal for researchers to better understand the complex nature of commitment among endurance sport participants. This research contributes to the sports tourism literature by giving results focusing on specifically endurance athletes and their sport commitment. This is also the first study to conduct a nationwide survey among endurance athletes in South Africa. In addition, the research fills the gap in the literature and provides insights on how commitment can be used to progress sport tourism. From a methodological point of view, the measuring instrument applied in this research fills the gap in the current sport literature by integrating additional socio-demographic, behavioural, lifestyle or travel-related factors that may also play a role in athletes’ commitment. Furthermore, the commitment to a particular event is also taken into account. This study lastly proposes a practical framework to foster sport commitment not only among participants but also amidst the greater population. This framework can be applied to all sporting types and disciplines and presents a comprehensive guideline to sport governing bodies, event organisers and sport destinations to help cultivate commitment among sport participants (individual and team-based) as well as supporters and spectators of sport. This framework can ultimately be used to foster a love for sport (commitment) among the broader public. Then, in addition, through commitment sport is made more accessible to every citizen irrespective of geographic location, gender, age, race and political background. Moreover, the framework provides guidelines to South African Tourism on how to use the sport events hosted in South Africa in the marketing and branding campaigns of the country as these are aspects that can give South Africa a competitive advantage. Uithouvermoë-sportbyeenkomste maak 'n belangrike deel uit van die sport toerisme bedryf. Aangesien hierdie sportbyeenkomste as 'n katalisator vir toerisme dien, verseker dit ekonomiese voordele wat op langtermyn volhoubaar is vir die bestemming waar die sportbyeenkoms plaasvind. Uithouvermoë-sportdeelnemers deel almal soortgelyke eienskappe soos die wil om te presteer, mededingende geaardheid, hoë vlakke van betrokkenheid, sterk identifikasie met die sport, bereidwilligheid om hul lewenstyl aan te pas, deursettingsvermoë en vasberadenheid. Dit kan redelikerwys verwag word dat verbintenis tot die sport, die grondslag vorm van die atlete se deelname aan sport. Die verbintenis van uithouvermoë-atlete is egter ingewikkeld om te meet. Om hierdie rede toon literatuur dat uithouvermoë-atlete, anders as die bekende sportverbintenismodel (of soos meer bekend, in kort die “SCM”), dat sportverbintenis volledig gemeet moet word om atlete se verbintenis ten volle te verstaan. Alhoewel vorige studies verbintenis uit verskillende perspektiewe gemeet het, wat tot verskillende modelle en teorieë gelei het, is dit nie in 'n Suid-Afrikaanse sport toerisme-perspektief gemeet nie; en het dit nie veranderlikes soos lewenstyl, gebeurtenis kenmerke en reisgedrag ingesluit nie. Die doel van hierdie studie was dus om 'n verbintenis-raamwerk vir uithouvermoë-sport toerisme in Suid-Afrika te ontwikkel. Om hierdie doel te bereik, het hierdie studie deur middel van 'n aanlyn-opname, uithouvermoë-atlete geteiken wat deelneem aan Suid-Afrikaanse sportbyeenkomste. Die aanlyn-opname is van Maart tot November 2015 uitgevoer, waartydens 498 vraelyste ingesamel is. Die oorhoofse doel van die studie is gerealiseer deur die onderskeie doelwitte wat gestel is, uit te voer. Die eerste vyf doelwitte is almal bereik deur die uitvoering van literatuurstudies. Die eerste doel was om sport toerisme te analiseer deur te fokus op die sleutel-belanghebbendes in die sport toerismebedryf en die belangrikheid van die aanbieding van sportgebeure te beklemtoon. Die tweede doel was om die onderskeie eienskappe van uithouvermoë-sportbyeenkomste en atlete binne 'n sport toerisme konteks te ondersoek. Doelwit drie het die kritiese ontleding van die SCM behels, asook verwante teorieë en die kompleksiteit van sportverbintenis in die konteks van uithouvermoë-sport. Die vierde doelwit was om die huidige stand van uithouvermoë-sport toerisme en gebeure in Suid-Afrika te analiseer. Die vyfde doelwit was om die metodologiese oorwegings wat in die studie toegepas is, te ondersoek, asook om 'n navorsingsraamwerk vir die studie te ontwerp. Die studie se sesde doelwit het vier sub-doelwitte bevat en het gefokus op die resultate van die aanlyn-opname. Dit is gebruik vir die beskrywende en multivariate ontledings. Die laaste doelwit was om gevolgtrekkings en aanbevelings te maak oor die resultate wat deur die studie bereik is; en om 'n verbintenis-raamwerk vir sport toerisme in Suid-Afrika voor te stel. Die data van die resultate is geanaliseer deur SPSS sagteware (SPSS weergawe 23). Verder is AMOS, wat 'n bygevoegde SPSS-module is, gebruik vir die strukturele vergelyking modellering (SEM) sowel as bemiddelingsmodellering. Die resultate van die beskrywende statistiek het 'n gedetailleerde profiel van uithouvermoë-sportdeelnemers van verskeie uithouvermoë-sport en dissiplines in die land bekend gemaak. Verkennende faktor-analises het die verbintenis, lewenstyl, sportbyeenkomste kenmerke en reisgedragsfaktore van uithouvermoë-sport uitgewys. Die t-toetse en ANOVA's het die spesifieke bepalende faktore geopenbaar wat uithouvermoë-sportdeelnemers se verbintenis daartoe verhoog al dan nie. Die eerste stel bepalende faktore was interne invloede wat sosio-demografie, sport- en sportbyeenkomsvoorkeure, deelname frekwensie en reisgedrag insluit. Die ander drie bepalende faktore was die gedragsfaktore en lewenstyl; sportbyeenkoms kenmerke, en reisgedrag. Elkeen van hierdie sewe bepalende faktore, het spesifieke veranderlikes gehad wat 'n invloed op uithouvermoë-atlete uitgeoefen het. Die SEM's het bepaal watter faktore die sterkste, unieke verhouding tot sportverbintenis gehad het. Die SEM-modelle het getoon dat ten einde die verbintenis van uithouvermoë-sportdeelnemers te verhoog, op reisgedrag en lewenstyl gefokus moet word. Daarbenewens onthul bemiddelingsmodelle dat beide reisgedrag en lewenstyl bemiddelaars is vir die verhouding tussen sportbyeenkoms kenmerke en verbintenis tot deelname aan uithouvermoë-sport. Hierdie studie bied verskeie bydraes tot waarde vir sport toerisme navorsers, sportbyeenkoms organiseerders, sport bestemmingsbestuurders, en sport beheerliggame. Eerstens, vul die navorsing die gaping in die literatuur aan rakende uithouvermoë-sport deur 'n verbintenis-raamwerk voor te stel wat verskillende aspekte binne 'n Suid-Afrikaanse sportkonteks oorweeg. Ander ontwikkelende lande kan egter ook hierdie raamwerk implementeer. Die raamwerk is ideaal vir navorsers om die komplekse aard van verbintenis onder uithouvermoë-sportdeelnemers beter te verstaan. Hierdie navorsing dra ook by tot die sport toerisme literatuur deur resultate te bied wat spesifiek op uithouvermoë-atlete en hul verbintenis tot sport fokus. Dit is ook die eerste studie om 'n landwye opname onder uithouvermoë-atlete in Suid-Afrika te doen. Daarbenewens vul die navorsing die gaping in die literatuur en bied insigte oor hoe verbintenis tot sport gebruik kan word om sport toerisme te bevorder. Uit ‘n metodologiese oogpunt vervul die meetinstrument wat in hierdie navorsing toegepas is, die gaping in die huidige sportliteratuur deur addisionele sosio-demografiese, gedrags-, leefstyl- en reisverwante faktore te integreer wat ook 'n rol kan speel in atlete se verbintenis tot sportdeelname. Verder word ook die verbintenis tot 'n bepaalde sportbyeenkoms in ag geneem. Ten slotte, stel hierdie studie 'n praktiese raamwerk voor om sportverbintenis te bevorder, nie net onder deelnemers nie, maar ook onder die breër publiek. Hierdie raamwerk kan toegepas word op alle sportsoorte en dissiplines en bied 'n omvattende riglyn aan sportbeheerliggame, sport klubs en sportbestemmings. Dit help ook om verbintenis tussen sportdeelnemers (individueel en spangebaseerd), ondersteuners asook toeskouers by sport te kweek. Die raamwerk kan uiteindelik gebruik word om 'n liefde vir sport (toewyding en verbintenis) by die breër publiek te bevorder. Daarbenewens word sport toeganklik gemaak vir alle mense, ongeag geografiese ligging, geslag, ouderdom, ras en politieke agtergrond. Die raamwerk bied riglyne aan Suid-Afrikaanse Toerisme vir sportbyeenkomste in Suid-Afrika en hoe om bemarkings- en handelsmerkveldtogte daarvoor toe te pas, aangesien dit aspekte is wat Suid-Afrika 'n mededingende voordeel kan gee.