Sports tourism marketing and sustainable rural development Case (Study: Rural Areas of Iran)

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Ph.D. Student, Department of Sports Management, Kermanshah Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kermanshah, Iran.

2 Ph.D. student in Sports Management, Kurdistan University, Sanandaj, Iran

3 Ph.D. student in Sports Management, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran.

Abstract

Purpose: Although sports tourism helps the livelihood and well-being of tourist areas by providing economic opportunities, irresponsible tourism development can have many negative consequences for tourism purposes. Little attention has been paid to the sustainability of the sport, and it is necessary to be aware of the effects of this sector on sustainable development. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to investigate the sports tourism marketing and sustainable rural development.
Methods: The research method is qualitative content analysis. In-depth interviews were conducted with 25 prominent sports management professors until reaching the Theoretical saturation. The constant comparison method was used for data analysis during open and axial coding stages.
Results: Findings showed the main factors that hinder the improvement of sports tourism in Iran include political, legal, human resources, social-cultural, health, informational, and communication factors in the Sports tourism marketing and sustainable rural development of Iran.
Conclusion: Based on the obtained results, the sports tourism marketing and sustainable rural developmen in Iran also need to use sports capacities which include the environmental capacities of sports, sports entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurs. Applying the strategies of policy-making, management, planning, and marketing in infrastructures about religious and social participation and financial and support considerations can lead to the emergence of sustainable consequences for the livelihood of local communities.

Keywords


Antoncic, B., &Prodan, I. )2017(. Alliances, corporate technological entrepreneurship, and firm performance: testing a model on manufacturing firms, technovation, 28, PP: 257-265
Bechere, R.C., Helms, M.M., & McDonald, J.P. (2012). The Effect of Entrepreneurial Marketing on Outcome Goals in SMEs. New England Journal of Entrepreneurship, 15(1), 1- 12.
Berg, V., Birkeland, J., Nguyen-Duc, A., Pappas, I. O., & Jaccheri, L. (2020). " Achieving agility and quality in product development-an empirical study of hardware startups". Journal of Systems and Software, 167(1), 1-63.
Bhattarai, K., & Karmacharya, R. (2022). Impact of Tourism on Economic Growth of Nepal: Is Tourism-Led Growth Hypothesis Valid for Nepal?. The Gaze: Journal of Tourism and Hospitality, 13(1), 93-110.‏
Block, WJ. )2017(. Physical activity and health-related quality of life. Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews; 24: 71-108.
Bocken, N., & Snihur, Y. (2020). "Lean Startup and the business model: Experimenting for Novelty and Impact". Long Range Planning, 53(4), 1-30.
Boonsiritomachai, W., & Phonthanukitithaworn, C. (2019). Residents' Support for Sports Events Tourism Development in Beach City: The Role of Community's Participation and Tourism Impacts. SAGE Open, 9(2), 1- 15. DOI: 10.1177/2158244019843417
Carneiro, M. J., Breda, Z., & Cordeiro, C. (2016). Sports tourism development and destination sustainability: the case of the coastal area of the Aveiro region, Portugal. Journal of Sport & Tourism, 20(3-4), 305-334.
Chalipe, G. W. )2018(. Traits Revisited. Journal of American Psychologists, 21. 1- 100.
Chun-Chu, Y., Cheng-Shen, L., Chin-Huang, H. )2018(. the Total Economic Value of Sport Tourism in Belt and Road Development—an Environmental Perspective. Sustainability 2018, 10, 1191; doi:10.3390/su10041191
Darmawan, R., Abidin, J., & Widyaningsih, H. (2022, February). Development of Water Sports Tourism Based on Sustainable Tourism in Pramuka Island, Thousand Islands DKI Jakarta. In 5th International Conference on Sport Science and Health (ICSSH 2021) (pp. 153-157). Atlantis Press.‏
Davis, D., Morris, M., & Allen, J. (1991). Perceived environmental turbulence and its effect on selected entrepreneurship, marketing, and organizational characteristics in industrial firms. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 19(1), 43-51.
Elyasi, M., Mohammadi, M., Jafari, H., & Karami, P. (2019). "A review of the global experiences of startup companies in the field of sports and physical health". Tehran, of success". Politecnico, 4.
Fadda, N. (2020). Entrepreneurial behaviors and managerial approach of lifestyle entrepreneurs in surf tourism: an exploratory study. Journal of Sport & Tourism, 1-25.
Fallah, Z., Samadi, E., &Askari, A. (2018). Rural sports development strategies with an emphasis on indigenous and local sports (a case study of Golestan province). New approaches in sports management, 6(23), 73-87. [In Persian
Ghaffari, R., &Turki Harchgani, M. (2016), "The role of tourism in the socio-economic development of rural areas of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province: a case study of Saman sector". Village and Development Quarterly, year 30, number 4, page 36
Ghafouri, F. (2014). Tourism development model based on the development of local and indigenous games in the country, Sports Management Studies, 6(24), 153-174. [In Persian]
Ghafouri, F., Babaee Soltangholi, H.,  & Shahlaee, J. (2021). Investigating the effect of local and indigenous games on the increase in GDP and job creation. Sports management studies, 13(65). [In Persian]
Ghanbari, S., Ghasemi, M., Pourjoopari, M. (2013). Investigating the effects of tourism on rural development from the perspective of the host community (Case study: Mahan section of Kerman). Journal of Spatial Planning, 3 (9). (in Persian)
Gibson, H. J., Kaplanidou, K., & Kang, S. J. (2012). Small-scale event sport tourism: A case study in sustainable tourism. Sport Management Review, 15(2), 160–170.
Gibson, H.J. (1998). Sport Tourism: A critical analysis of research. Sport Management Review, 1(1), 45-76.
Gkoumas, A. (2019). Evaluating a standard for sustainable tourism through the lenses of local industry. Heliyon, 5(11), e02707
González-Serrano, M. H., Añó Sanz, V., & González-García, R. J. (2020). Sustainable Sport Entrepreneurship and Innovation: A Bibliometric Analysis of This Emerging Field of Research. Sustainability, 12(12), 5209.
Gruber, M. (2004). Marketing in new ventures: theory and empirical evidence. Schmalenbach Business Review, 56(2), 164-199.
Harjo, I. W. & Susanti, A. (2018).Potentials and Sustainability Index of Small-Scale Sports Tourism in Batu City, International Journal of Social Science Studies, 6(2), 10-20.
Hattink, B., & Groen, A. (2021). "A system innovation related to sports entrepreneurship. In Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Sport Management"'. Edward Elgar Publishing, 1- 192.
Hattink, B., & Wichers, J. (2021). "Sports and entrepreneurship. In World Encyclopedia of Entrepreneurship". Edward Elgar Publishing, 1-512.
Hayduk, T. (2020). "The Future for Sports Entrepreneurship". In Sports Entrepreneurship and Public Policy, 135-152.
Hernández, J. M., Suárez-Vega, R., & Santana-Jiménez. Y. (2016).The interrelationship between rural and mass tourism: The case of Catalonia, Spain. Tourism management. 54, 43–57.
Higham, J. (1999). Commentary – Sport as an avenue of tourism development: An analysis of the positive and negative impacts of sport tourism. Current Issues in Tourism, 2 (1), 82-90.
Hills, G. E., & Hultman, C. M. (2011). Academic roots: The past and present of entrepreneurial marketing. Journal of Small Business & Entrepreneurship, 24(1), 1-10.
Hosseinpour, M. N. (2013). "Tourism, development and job creation", the collection of selected articles of the second conference honored the week of research and honored the researchers of Iran Tourism Organization, Education and Planning Research Deputy, pages 18-25.
Huili, H., Carol, K., Patrick, L., & Gary, R. (2018). Property Owners' Attitudes toward Sustainable Tourism: Comparing Coastal and Mountain Counties. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 88 (4), 424–448.
Hungenberg, E., Aichert, T., & Sawyer, T. (2022). A glimpse into the experience of a youth sports tourism consumer: an analysis of parents vs. coaches. Journal of Sport & Tourism, 1-21.‏
Jiménez-García, M., Ruiz-Chico, J., Peña-Sánchez, A. R., López-Sánchez, J. A. (2020). A Bibliometric Analysis of Sports Tourism and Sustainability (2002–2019). Sustainability, 12(7), 2840.
Johnson, B.(1997). Examining the validity structure of qualitative research. Education, 1997.118(3), 282-292.
Jones, R. & Rowley, J. (2011). Entrepreneurial marketing in small businesses: A conceptual exploration. International Small Business Journal, 29(1), 25-36.
Kamilla, S., Tembi, M., Tichaawa, J., Tracy, Daniels. )2018(. Stakeholder Perspectives of Sport Tourism Development in Gabon - A
Karimi, j., Soltanian, L., and Bojani, A. (2020). Designing a model for the development of adventure sports tourism, data theory foundation. Sports Management Studies, 12(60), 61-82. [In Persian]
Kurgun, H., Bagiran, D., Ozeren, E. & Maral, B. (2011). Entrepreneurial Marketing-The Interface between Marketing and Entrepreneurship: A Qualitative Research on Boutique Hotels. European Journal of Social Sciences, 26 (3), 340-357.
Kwon, S., Liu, X., Porter, A. L., & Youtie, J. (2019). "Research addressing emerging technological ideas has a greater scientific impact". Research Policy, 48(9), 1-16.
Lee, C. C., Chen, M. P., & Wu, W. (2022). The criticality of tourism development, economic complexity, and country security on ecological footprint. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 1-37.‏
Manasra, E.A., Zyadat, M.A., Awamreh, M.A., & Alnsour, M.S. (2013). Linking entrepreneurial marketing and performance indicators in the Jordanian hotel industry. Journal of Management Research, 5(3), 86-94.
Mandalizadeh, Z., Ehsani, M., & Honari, H. (2017). "Designing a sustainable entrepreneurship model with grounded Theory". Journal of Sports Management, 8(5), 709- 725. (Persian)
Marko, P., Jelena, Đ., & Vanja, V. )2018(. Active Event Sport Tourism Experience: The Role of the Natural Environment, Safety, and Security in Event Business Models. Int. J. Sus. Dev. Plann. Vol. 13, No. 5 (2018) 758–772.
Mcdowell, W. C., Peake, W. O., Coder, L., & Harris, M. L. (2018). "Building small firm performance through intellectual capital development: Exploring innovation as the “black box”. Journal of Business Research, 88, 321-327.
Morris, M. H., Schindehutte, M., & LaForge, R. W. (2002). Entrepreneurial marketing: a construct for integrating emerging entrepreneurship and marketing perspectives. Journal of marketing theory and Practice, 10(4), 1-19.
Moyle, B. D., Hinch, T., & Higham, J. (2020). Sport Tourism and Sustainable Destinations, New York: Routledge.
Patton, M.(2002). Qualitative evaluation and research methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc. 2002.
Pellegrini, M. M., Rialti, R., Marzi, G., & Caputo, A. (2020). Sport entrepreneurship: A synthesis of existing literature and future perspectives. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 1-32.
Provistel, Hider, A. (2018).South–South medical tourism and the quest for health in Southern Africa. Social Science & Medicine, 124, 313-320.‏
Qayami Rad, A., Moharramzadeh, M.,  & Hosseinpour, B. (2015), "The relationship between the views of sports managers and tourism managers of the country and sports tourism factors in Iran". Olympic Quarterly, year 16- number 0, pages 51-61
Rahimi, A., & Khabiri, M. (2020). " Creating a role of entrepreneurial strategies in the growth of sport Startups". Fifth International Conference on New Research in Sports Science and Physical Education, Lecture, 1-15. (In Persian)
Rahimi, A., Ehsani, M., Saffari, M., & Norouzi Seyed Hoseini, R. (2020). "Role of Human Resource Management Practices and Knowledge Inertia in Academic Entrepreneurship Actions of Sport Science Students and Graduates". Journal of Human Resource Management in Sport, 7 (2), 421- 438. (In Persian)
Rahimi, A., Norouzi Seyed Hoseini, R., & Nazarian, A. (2020). "Can market knowledge lead to entrepreneurial opportunities and commercialization in sports startups". International Journal of Physiology, Exercise, and Physical Education, 2(1), 14-20. (In Persian)
Ramezanpour Nargesi, Q. (2017) "Key factors affecting the development of entrepreneurship and technology in knowledge-based companies located in Science and Technology Park in Iran", Journal of Entrepreneurship Development, Volume - No. 4, page 142-160 [In Persian]
Ratten, V. (2020). "Sport Innovation Communities and Problem Complexity. In Sport Startups: New Advances in Entrepreneurship". Emerald Publishing Limited, 59-70.
Rosmiyanti, E., Sutjiatmi, S., & Azzahra, C. Q. (2022, January). Restoration of Tourism in Indonesia New Normal Era Through CHS Program in Bali Tourism. In 2nd International Conference on Social Science, Humanities, Education and Society Development (ICONS 2021) (pp. 117-121). Atlantis Press.‏
Rusta, A., Venus, D., & Ebrahimi, A.H. (2012). Marketing Management (Fourth Edition). Tehran, Samt Publications. (in Persian)
Sani, S., M. (2018). Shahrood sport tourism planning using the SWOT technique with emphasis on natural attractions.Journal of Tourism & Hospitality Research, Islamic Azad University, Garmsar BranchVol. 5, No 4, Spring & Summer 2018, Pp. 65-82
Sarma, M., Septiani, S., Ratna Dewi, F., & Siregar. E.H. (2013). The Impact of Entrepreneurial Marketing and Business Development on Business Sustainability: Small and Household Footwear Industries in Indonesia. International Journal of Marketing Studies, 5(4), 110- 122.
Sgroi, F. (2020). Forest resources and sustainable tourism, a combination for the resilience of the landscape and development of mountain areas. Science of the Total Environment, 736, 139539.
Shahrabi, B., Ashrafi, M., & Abbasi, I. (2019). "Modeling the factors affecting the financing of startups with the Demetel technique". Financial Management Strategy, 7 (2), 61-89. [In Persian]
Shams, E., & Moradi, M. (2020). " Future scenarios for Iranian startup on the horizon of 1404". Iranian Futurology, 4(2), 55-79. [In Persian]
Sharifi Tehrani, M., & Yousefi, J. (2013). Investigating the relationship between religious, rural, and ecological tourism with cultural tourism (Case study: South Khorasan). Journal of Khorasan Cultural-Social Studies, 25, 1-33. (in Persian)
Shi, R., & Yang, T. (2022). Sustainable development of sports event tourism destinations: Perspectives of the core stakeholders in China. In Sports Marketing in a Global Environment (pp. 97-106). Routledge.
Si, W., & Haibo, T. (2018). The New Path of Sports Tourism Development from the Perspective of Smart Sports.Advances in Physical Sciences. 2018, 6(2), 44-49
Stankova, M. Z. (2022). Safety and Security in Tourism: Formalizing Uncertainty at the Destination Level. In Handbook of Research on Key Dimensions of Occupational Safety and Health Protection Management (pp. 284-301). IGI Global.‏
Sun, Y. (2022). Research on the Restoration and Development of Tourism According to the Characteristics of Rural and Urban Groups---Based on Cointegration and Error Correction Model. Asian Business Research, 7(2), 12.‏
Swart, K., Tichaawa, T, M., Odounga Othy, J. D., & Daniels, T. (2018). Development in Gabon-A case study of the Africa cup of Nationals. Euro Economica. 10 (37), 177-189.
Tiago, F., Gil, A., Stemberger, S., & Borges-Tiago, T. (2021). Digital sustainability communication in tourism. Journal of Innovation & Knowledge, 6(1), 27-34.
UNWTO. (2017). Why tourism? Retrieved Match 17th, 2013 from: http://www2.unwto.org/ en/content/ why- tourism
Utami, P. B., Parluhutan, D., Taryono, K., & Simarangkir, O. R. (2022). The economic marine tourism based on cleanliness health safety and environment (CHSE) protocol as covid-19 outbreak responses at Derawan Island, Indonesia. In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science (Vol. 967, No. 1, p. 012021). IOP Publishing.‏
Wallis, L., Walmsley, A., Beaumont, E., & Sutton, C. (2020). "Just want to surf, make boards and party: how do we identify lifestyle entrepreneurs within the lifestyle sports industry?". International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 16(3), 917-934.
Xie, J. (2019). Research on the Problems and Countermeasures in the Development of Industrialization of Chinese National Folk Sports Tourism, Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Economy, Judicature, Administration and Humanitarian Projects (JAHP 2019).
Xu, B., Gao, B., Nimer Abukhalifeh, A., Zhang, S., Wu, Y., & Jiang, N. (2022). Application of Multilevel Gray Model in Tourism Economic Performance Evaluation. Journal of Mathematics, 2022.‏
Yixiong, W. (2018). Research on Developing National Traditional Sports Tourism Resources under the Background of Sports Town. Advances in Physical Sciences, 2018, 6(2), 18-25
Zamani, A. (2014) "Effects of income and job creation of tourism and Iranian tourism"; Tourism and Development, Tourism Research and Studies Center, Tehran
Zargham Broojeni, H., and Sedaghat, M. (2018). A process model of sustainable tourism development of the Islamic Republic of Iran (Grounded theory with an emphasis on five-year economic, social, and cultural development plans). Tourism and Development, 7(3), 25-73. [In Persian]
Zarrabi, A., Islami Parikhani, S, (2015) "Measuring the economic, social-cultural and environmental effects of tourism development (a case study of Mishkin Shahr city)". Human Geography Journal, No. 70, pp. 37-52
Zhang, S. N., Li, Y. Q., Liu, C. H., & Ruan, W. Q. (2020). Critical factors identification and prediction of tourism and hospitality students' entrepreneurial intention. Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism Education, 26, 100234.
Zhang, Z., Li, L., & Guo, Q. (2022). The Interactive Relationships between the Tourism-Transportation-Ecological Environment System of Provinces along the ‘Silk Road Economic Belt’in China. Sustainability, 14(5), 3050.‏
Zia, B., & Toti far Tehran pur, M. (2019). "Investigating the effect of entrepreneurial orientation and e-readiness on the performance of startup sports businesses". Journal of Sports Management, 11 (4), 705-721. (Persian)