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Why do People Attend Sport Events at Mature Tourist Destinations? An Analysis of Visitors’ Motivation to Attend the Windsurf World Cup on Sylt

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  • Könecke Thomas

    (Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Faculty of Social Sciences, Media and Sports, Department of Sport Economics, Sport Sociology and Sport History, Germany)

  • Kwiatkowski Grzegorz

    (University of Southern Denmark, Faculty of Business and Social Sciences, Department of Environmental and Business Economics Denmark)

Abstract

Introduction. Sport events have become a popular tool for the marketing of tourist destinations. In this regard, it has to be kept in mind that the effects events can generate for destinations largely depend on the motivation of the attendees. Building on this insight, the aim of this paper is to compare the motivational structures of two types of visitors (primary purpose event visitors and casual visitors) to the German island of Sylt during a Windsurf World Cup. This event-destination combination was chosen because it represents the tendency for popular tourist resorts to use small-scale sport events in their marketing efforts. Material and methods. The research was conducted using an a priori segmentation of event attendees as casual visitors and primary purpose event visitors that is based on a well-established theoretical background. Results. The results revealed that both visitor groups were mainly motivated by cheering for the surfers and indulging in vicarious achievement. Furthermore, both showed some interest in learning more about the destination. Interestingly, many other motives that had been identified in (sport) tourism research did not seem to be very relevant for the respondents. Conclusion. Event marketers should heavily emphasise the opportunity to watch and closely relate to the surfers. Thus, including internationally popular athletes - if they are also popular in Germany - as well as local heroes in the event seems to be reasonable.

Suggested Citation

  • Könecke Thomas & Kwiatkowski Grzegorz, 2016. "Why do People Attend Sport Events at Mature Tourist Destinations? An Analysis of Visitors’ Motivation to Attend the Windsurf World Cup on Sylt," Polish Journal of Sport and Tourism, Sciendo, vol. 23(2), pages 104-112, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:vrs:spotou:v:23:y:2016:i:2:p:104-112:n:7
    DOI: 10.1515/pjst-2016-0013
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Heather J. Gibson & Kyriaki Kaplanidou & Sung Jin Kang, 2012. "Small-scale event sport tourism: A case study in sustainable tourism," Sport Management Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(2), pages 160-170, April.
    2. Christine Green, B., 2001. "Leveraging Subculture and Identity to Promote Sport Events," Sport Management Review, Elsevier, vol. 4(1), pages 1-19, May.
    3. Gibson, Heather J. & Kaplanidou, Kyriaki & Kang, Sung Jin, 2012. "Small-scale event sport tourism: A case study in sustainable tourism," Sport Management Review, Elsevier, vol. 15(2), pages 160-170.
    4. Tkaczynski, Aaron & Rundle-Thiele, Sharyn R., 2011. "Event segmentation: A review and research agenda," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 32(2), pages 426-434.
    5. B. Christine Green, 2001. "Leveraging Subculture and Identity to Promote Sport Events," Sport Management Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 4(1), pages 1-19, January.
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