Author Bios (50 Words for each Author)

Dr. Lindsay Usher’s research focuses on host communities in coastal tourism destinations. Her primary area of interest is surf culture and tourism. Additional interests include tourism business resilience and climate change. She is an associate professor of Park, Recreation and Tourism Studies at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, USA.

Dr. Nuno Ribeiro’s research interests include culturally derived belief and behavior models in tourism destinations; young people's behavior in tourism destinations; visual methods in tourism research; and cross-cultural tourism behavior. He is a senior lecturer in Tourism and Hospitality Management at RMIT University in Saigon, Vietnam.

Abstract (150 Words)

Sporting events can be a way to bring economic income, increased visitation and greater visibility to a destination. Despite the increase in surf tourism research over the past two decades, few studies have explored competitive surfing events. The purpose of this study is to explore event satisfaction, surfing experiences, destination image and future behavioral intentions of competitors in the World Championships of Surf Kayaking. Researchers used an online survey to evaluate 41 competitors’ satisfaction with the event, experience in the destination and future behavioral intentions. With some exceptions, respondents were highly satisfied with the event, felt welcome in the surf, and had a positive image of Peru. Many of these factors were positively related to a high overall visit satisfaction and willingness to recommend the destination. The results have implications about competitor well-being for sporting event organizers and provide insights for surf destination marketers.

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Exploring Event Satisfaction, Surfing Experiences and Destination Image at the World Championships of Surf Kayaking in Peru

Sporting events can be a way to bring economic income, increased visitation and greater visibility to a destination. Despite the increase in surf tourism research over the past two decades, few studies have explored competitive surfing events. The purpose of this study is to explore event satisfaction, surfing experiences, destination image and future behavioral intentions of competitors in the World Championships of Surf Kayaking. Researchers used an online survey to evaluate 41 competitors’ satisfaction with the event, experience in the destination and future behavioral intentions. With some exceptions, respondents were highly satisfied with the event, felt welcome in the surf, and had a positive image of Peru. Many of these factors were positively related to a high overall visit satisfaction and willingness to recommend the destination. The results have implications about competitor well-being for sporting event organizers and provide insights for surf destination marketers.