UNDERSTANDING THE ADVENTURE SPORTSCAPE'S IMPACT ON CONSUMERS' DESTINATION IMAGE AND EVENT CONATIVE LOYALTY

Due to increased evidence of sport's ability to impact local economies, the purpose of this study was to examine how aesthetic, technical, and functional "sportscape" qualities influence adventure sport athletes' perceptions of the event, as well as the host destination. Data were collected from 341 athletes competing in adventure sport events throughout the 2016 summer season in two mountainous regions located in the US. Competitions under study included trail running, triathlons, mountain biking, open water swimming, and paddling events. Confirmatory factor analysis was able to confirm the content validity of the scale, providing practitioners and scholars alike with future means of measuring adventure sport facets that are most salient and effective in explaining competitors' sport tourism hedonistic outcomes. Further, structural equation modeling was able to explain causal relationships between the adventure sportscape constructs and nonlocal participants' destination image and event loyalty. Specifically, the model provides evidence that an event's atmosphere, extension events, and novelty characteristics are instrumental in fostering memorable sport tourism experiences. Results and implications extend previous sportscape research that has focused predominately on sport specatators.