Psychological Factors Influencing the Attraction of Sports Tourists to Kelardasht County
Keywords:
Sports tourism, Thematic analysis, psychological factors, Tourist attraction, KelardashtAbstract
The present study aimed to analyze the psychological factors influencing the process of attracting sports tourists to Kelardasht County. This research adopted a qualitative approach and was conducted using thematic analysis. The participants consisted of 20 sports tourists, experts, and managers associated with sports tourism in Kelardasht, who were selected through purposive sampling until theoretical saturation was achieved. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews and analyzed using the six-phase approach proposed by Braun and Clarke (2006). The analysis resulted in the extraction of 126 initial concepts and the development of a three-dimensional model comprising: (1) tourist-related psychological factors (demand side), including tourists’ motivations and personal tendencies, as well as tourist experience and satisfaction; (2) destination-related factors (supply side), including sports tourism infrastructure and facilities, and destination characteristics and attractions; and (3) environmental and managerial factors, including marketing, information dissemination and social interactions, as well as security, regulations, and policymaking. These factors interact dynamically to shape the sports tourist attraction process. Based on the findings, sustainable attraction of sports tourists in Kelardasht requires a holistic and integrated perspective that simultaneously addresses tourists’ internal psychological dynamics, the quality of destination supply, and the supportive environmental-managerial framework. Accordingly, managers and planners can capitalize on the region’s unique potential by designing integrated sport–cultural experiences, strengthening soft (human) infrastructure, and implementing narrative-based communication strategies.
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