A critical research model of sports tourism studies

Abstract

Sports tourism is a newly emerging subfield in travel and leisure. As such, it has attracted increasing academic interest as the field of study. Researchers have defined the field and have begun to consider research agendas for studying sports tourism. The model developed in this paper conceptualized sports tourism as an industry and focused on the question, “Knowledge for whom?” by asking this question and focusing on the various functions of research and the kinds of information required by a variety of interested parties. A typology of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed research models are provided to demonstrate the ways in which research in sports tourism can be used to further develop the field and provide researchers with examples to illustrate how various research methods can be used to investigate problems and issues in a newly developing field. This paper attempts to refocus attention on the multiplicity of stakeholders and interest groups that will shape the research enterprise and provide guidance to researchers in the field of sports tourism. © 2004 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.