Paper Title
The Impact of Eco-Sustainability Practices on Consumer Demand: A Case of Sports Tourists
Start Date
7-1-2011 3:15 PM
End Date
7-1-2011 4:00 PM
Track
2. Track 2 - Poster Session
Subject Area
Travel and Tourism
Faculty Member
Dr. Kelly Phelan, kelly.phelan@ttu.edu
Abstract
Sports tourism is a field which has shown significant growth over the past several decades. Recent estimates imply the economic impact from sports travelers in the hundreds of billions of dollars annually. Events held at sports venues have the potential to increase tourism for a destination, while increasing the number of tourism dollars generated for the local economies. Numerous research studies indicate tourists frequently switch roles while traveling for pleasure, for example sports tourists may elect to visit a cultural heritage museum during their travels. While the sporting event still serves as the primary motivation for these tourists, they essentially have become cultural tourists as well. In today’s society, there is increasing public interest in eco-sustainability issues. The hospitality industry has become aware of this growing area of importance, and many businesses in this field are adopting eco-sustainability initiatives to meet consumer demands. Sports arenas have realized the importance of environmental preservation as well. The purpose of this study is to examine the extent eco-sustainability measures of NBA arenas, such as recycling programs or waste reduction efforts, affect the motivation of fans to attend games. The sample for this study will be collected through a survey distributed via Qualtrics Labs. The survey contains 72 questions, of which 61 pertain to eco-sustainability practices. Questions concentrate on the aspects of environmental preservation, protection, and concern. Additionally, respondents will be presented with topics regarding current NBA eco-sustainability performance, their personal motivations for eco-sustainability, and motivations for travel.
Keywords
Eco-Sustainability, environmental preservation, sports tourists, NBA, Resource Consumption, Recycling, Tourist Behavior
The Impact of Eco-Sustainability Practices on Consumer Demand: A Case of Sports Tourists
Sports tourism is a field which has shown significant growth over the past several decades. Recent estimates imply the economic impact from sports travelers in the hundreds of billions of dollars annually. Events held at sports venues have the potential to increase tourism for a destination, while increasing the number of tourism dollars generated for the local economies. Numerous research studies indicate tourists frequently switch roles while traveling for pleasure, for example sports tourists may elect to visit a cultural heritage museum during their travels. While the sporting event still serves as the primary motivation for these tourists, they essentially have become cultural tourists as well. In today’s society, there is increasing public interest in eco-sustainability issues. The hospitality industry has become aware of this growing area of importance, and many businesses in this field are adopting eco-sustainability initiatives to meet consumer demands. Sports arenas have realized the importance of environmental preservation as well. The purpose of this study is to examine the extent eco-sustainability measures of NBA arenas, such as recycling programs or waste reduction efforts, affect the motivation of fans to attend games. The sample for this study will be collected through a survey distributed via Qualtrics Labs. The survey contains 72 questions, of which 61 pertain to eco-sustainability practices. Questions concentrate on the aspects of environmental preservation, protection, and concern. Additionally, respondents will be presented with topics regarding current NBA eco-sustainability performance, their personal motivations for eco-sustainability, and motivations for travel.