Title: Model of service quality in event sport tourism: development of a scale

Authors: David J. Shonk, Packianathan Chelladurai

Addresses: School of Hospitality, Sport and Recreation Management, James Madison University, 321 Godwin Hall, MSC 2302, Harrisonburg, VA 22807, USA. ' The Ohio State University, A250 Paes Bldg., 305 W 17th Ave., Columbus, OH 43210, USA

Abstract: The primary purposes of this study were to develop a scale and test a model of service quality in sport tourism. The model was tested using data collected from spectators travelling to a major league All-Star sporting event in the USA. The data from the 215 usable cases were analysed using structural equation modelling. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the CFA measurement model and structural model were an acceptable fit. The findings from this study point to support for a multi-dimensional model of service quality in sport tourism. The most important dimension was found to be the quality of the contest itself. The results suggested that there is an overall perception of sport tourism quality (ST Quality) which significantly contributes to a tourist|s perceptions of satisfaction. Moreover, Satisfaction was found to significantly contribute to a tourist|s decision to return to a sporting event and/or to a particular destination.

Keywords: sport tourism; event sports; service quality; services marketing; scale development; sport management; sport marketing; USA; United States; structural equation modelling; tourist satisfaction; customer satisfaction.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSMM.2009.029090

International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing, 2009 Vol.6 No.3, pp.292 - 307

Published online: 03 Nov 2009 *

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