Passive Sports Tourist Attending a Major Sports Event: Influencing Factors on Future Intentions

Attendance at sporting events has increased in recent years as part of globalization, and event-related services represent an important type of tourism that influences socioeconomic development and visitor attraction. This study aims to analyse the elements that influence the future intentions of a passive consumer at a major sporting event. The sample consisted of 152 people who participated in a stage of the La Vuelta and completed an 18-item questionnaire divided into six criteria. From a statistical perspective, the AMOS software was used to test the measurement model (confirmatory factor analysis) and verify the postulated relationships (structural equation model), obtaining a reasonable fit for the measurement model and the structural model (through the combination of χ ²/df, RMSEA, CFI, IFI, TLI, and PCFI indices) as well as adequate reliability and validity indices. The results of the relationship model confirmed 6 of the 12 hypotheses, determining that staff have a positive impact on communication and the destination’s image, and that communication influences electronic word-of-mouth, improving the destination’s image, a dimension that positively influences satisfaction, which in turn influences the future intentions of passive tourists. The scale used has adequate psychometric properties and allows for the assessment of passive tourists’ perceptions of sporting events. These findings are particularly relevant for event managers, as they highlight the importance of paying special attention to staff and volunteers, as well as to electronic word-of-mouth. These practical implications guide strategies to improve service delivery and tourists’ intentions to recommend the destination/event.