The Effect of Destination Image on Satisfaction and Revisiting Intention of Desert Sport Tourists

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Ph.D in Sport Management, Faculty of physical education and sport sciences, Allameh Tabatabaei University, Tehran, Iran.

2 University of Coimbra, Faculty of Sport Science and Physical Education, Coimbra, Portugal

Abstract

Given the importance of desert sports in the development of sports tourism in desert areas, the purpose of this study was to assess the effect of destination image on satisfaction and revisit the intention of desert sport tourists in the Lut desert of Iran as a desert sport destination. The research population was sport tourists who had visited the Lut desert (in Iran) in 2020. 208 valid and reliable questionnaires were distributed among the research samples that were selected through a convenience sampling approach. The model validity and the relationships among research variables were verified by using structural equation modeling with PLS. The research findings demonstrated that destination image of a desert sport destination has influenced desert sport tourists’ satisfaction and their revisiting intention. Moreover, tourists’ satisfaction had a significant effect on tourists’ revisit intention. The findings of this study can lead to a better understanding of behavioral mechanisms that can provide reliable principles for maintaining and developing sport tourism in desert sport destination destinations.    

Keywords


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