Strategic Positioning of Sports Tourism Destinations: A Multi-dimensional Image Analysis in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) Context—A Case Study of Chon Buri Province
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Abstract
This study aimed to 1) examine and analyze the current image of sports tourism in Chon Buri Province in terms of tourists’ perceptions, satisfaction, and loyalty, and 2) identify the determinants of sports tourism image in Chon Buri Province, with an emphasis on developing a structural understanding that supports strategic positioning within the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) context. A quantitative research design was employed. Data were collected using a questionnaire administered to 400 sports tourists and/or spectators attending sports-related activities in Chon Buri Province. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with maximum likelihood extraction and Direct Oblimin rotation.
The findings indicated that the overall sports tourism image was at a favorable level ( = 3.96, SD = 0.72). Tourist satisfaction with the sports tourism experience was very high (
= 4.02, SD = 0.68), while destination loyalty was at a good level (
= 3.88, SD = 0.75). The EFA results identified five key determinants of sports tourism image, with factor loadings ranging from 0.743 to 0.847: (1) physical environment quality, (2) interaction quality, (3) diversity of sports activities, (4) infrastructure and accessibility, and (5) cultural image and local identity. These five factors explained 72.53% of the total variance. The measurement instrument demonstrated high reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.94), and sampling adequacy was excellent (KMO = 0.889). In addition, the five determinants were moderately to strongly and positively correlated (r = 0.445–0.643, p < 0.01). The results suggest that sports tourism development under the EEC framework should integrate modern infrastructure readiness with the preservation of coastal and marine environmental standards to foster a sustainable destination image and enhance international competitiveness.
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