The management of sports tourism: a causal modeling test of the theory of planned behaviour.

The sports industry in Taiwan, "sports tourism" has become an index of modern leisure life. As the star industry in the 21st century, sports tourism provides many important fonctions for regional development. Without its abundant natural resources, Taiwan can create more jobs and stimulate its economy with sports tourism. This study modifies the theory of planned behavior of Ajzen (1985) by constructing a behavior intention model for sports tourists in the water recreational areas of Kenting. As a result, the intention model of sports tourists in the water recreational areas of Kenting was constructed based on data from research subjects that can be used to explain data that was actually observed. Research findings in this study include the direct influences of dependent variables on independent variables as well as the significant influences of attitude and perceived behavior control on behavioral intention. In addition, subjective norm is found with no significant influence on behavioral intention. Based on the research results, this study proposes concrete suggestions with the goal of providing references for the marketing strategies of the government and organizations related to the sports industry.IntroductionTaiwan is an island that has a coastline of a thousand kilometers as well as abundant rivers, lakes and reservoirs that are second to none in the world. In addition, Taiwan has long and hot summer days that are suitable for water activities and thus, water sports have been a favorite recreational activity throughout Taiwan. Kenting is located on the southern part of Taiwan Island by surrounding of water on three sides, and it is the marine area and land area , it became a famous recreational area in Taiwan. Kenting is a strategically developed area of coastal recreation. With its abundant natural resources as well as the advantages of being located near the sea, mountains, and forests and in a tropical climate (Kenting has an average weather and water temperature of over 20° all year long), it is a good place for water-based activities. Thus, Kenting attracts many tourists in every season (Ping-Ting office tourism website ' 20 1 0). Surrounded by the sea in three directions, Kenting has become the headquarters for the development of water sports such as jet skis, surfing, and scuba diving. Along with the popularity of motorcycle riding, biking, and jeep driving, Kenting, which offers tourist itineraries combined with both sports and leisure, has become the destination of many sports tourists. Due to the unique natural environment and rich tourism resources ofKenting, local government or private organizations, each year, hold various sports recreational and tourism activities. For example, the "Kenting Spring Music Festival" and "Southern Taiwan Marathon" in 20 1 0, "Biking for Treasure on the West Coast," and "Experiential Leisure and Recreation in Water Areas. " These activities attract domestic and international tourists to Kenting who come for the sports activities that make use of the connection to a unique sea shore and other geographic features. Furthermore, Renting has also promoted itself into an important international tourist destination (Kenting National Park Headquarters, 201 1). Sports tourism is a phenomenon in global development and relevant scholars from the fields of sociology (Giddens, 2001), sports sociology (Coakley, 2006), tourism (Urry, 1990) have observed the main factors of the economy, political reform, as well as attitude and value change. The sports tourism industry would like to promote tourism development by attracting tourists to an area based on the theme of "sports" and "tourism" and build a symbiotic relationship between the two industries (Leisure Consultants, 1992). The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and WTO, since 2000, have convened conferences related to sports tourism (Gibson, 2003), which indicates that the international academia is paying more attention to sports and tourism. …