The Relationship Between Event Quality Perception, Destination Image, and Behavioral Intention: A Case Study From Marathon Running Events
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Abstract
During the past decade marathon running events have grown in popularity and numbers world-wide and also in Thailand, but event impacts have not been widely studied. Previous research efforts have focused on mega and major events, which were greater in scale and yielded extremely high levels of media coverage and impacts compared to small-scale events, such as marathon running events. This study’s aim was to examine the relationship between event quality, satisfaction, and destination image, and also how the destination image influenced the behavioral intentions of active sport tourists. Research candidates chosen were active participants in major marathon events in Thailand. The results showed a positive relationship between each factor and implied that (a) high service quality running events increased sport tourist satisfaction, (b) satisfaction led to a positive destination image, and (c) perceived positive destination image was related to behavioral intentions. This study provided empirical evidence of how small-scale events impacted destination image, and the destination image created by small-scale events impacted behavioral intentions of active sport tourists. Some limitations existed and future research efforts involving greater numbers of participants or using different data analysis methods are highly recommended, as this may increase the findings’ generalizability and predictability.
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