Abstract:
Sport tourism is quickly establishing itself as a significant force within the global
tourist market. It has gained massive momentum in recent years due to its social,
environmental, and economic impacts on destinations. According to that, it
becomes a rapidly growing sector an increasing number of tourists participate in
sports activities during their trips. The aim of this study was to examine the impact
of tourists’ motives in terms of self-enrichment, social needs, travel exploration,
and physical fitness on their engagement in sports and recreational activities, with
special reference to tourists who are visit Southern Province. According to that, the
data were collected from 123 tourists in Southern Province. Moreover, the present
study followed quantitative methodology and data were gathered by conducting
a survey using a validated self-administrated questionnaire. Multiple linear
regression analysis was conducted as a statistical technique to analyze the data.
Findings of the study suggest that self-enrichment (0.210), social needs (0.479),
travel exploration (0.227), and physical fitness (0.303) positively impact tourists’
engagement in sports and recreational activities in Southern Province in Sri
Lankan context. Consequently, findings will help to policymakers for create and
develop favorable conditions for sports and recreational activities, which bring
many measurable benefits to the country. In addition to that, present study
contributes to the existing literature among the infrequent studies to investigate
travel motives for engaging in sports tourism activities. Further studies are
recommended to target other destinations and test the relationships with other
suitable variables with in-depth analysis.
