Abstract
Major international sports events are held in high regard by spectators, who contribute with their spending to the organizers and even to the given national economy where the event is organized. We investigated the intrinsic motivational factors of foreign spectators and their association with their event-related expenditure in the 2022 FINA World Aquatics Championships. The survey method was applied, and the sample consisted of n = 385 foreign spectators. Exploratory Factor Analysis was conducted on the event-related sports motivations of the foreign spectators, and regression models were calculated with these factors and economic and demographic variables. Convenience and Excitement, Fan of the national team, and Entertainment were the three event-related sports motivational factors of foreign spectators, and all of them were significantly associated with spectators’ expenditure. The Entertainment factor on its own was negatively associated with expenditure, whereas the Convenience and Excitement, and the Fan of the national team factors had a strong positive association with spectators’ expenditure. Economic factors were also significantly associated (positively) with expenditure, but from the demographic variables, age was the only one with a significant association (also positive). Excitement seems to be an event-related sports motivational factor that increases foreign spectators’ expenditure, whereas only Entertainment focus decreases it.