INFLUENCING ACTIVE SPORT TOURISTS' LOYALTY TO EVENT AND DESTINATION

The value for an active sport tourist is directly embedded in the cocreation of his/her experience with the event and the destination. This study argues that individual travel resources enable an active sport tourist to create value with the event organization and, through flow-on tourism, the destination provider. The study explores the impact of the active sport tourists' travel resources on the cocreation of the event experience by testing whether they influence the event and/or the destination loyalty. Understanding these interrelationships is imperative, as the active sport tourists' loyalty can help achieve a competitive advantage for the event and the destination service providers. A survey of 649 active sport tourists was conducted. The results indicated that sport event attributes played a role in the creation of the active sport tourists' experiences through sharing and integrating of their travel resources. The findings also showed that the event loyalty of active sport tourists enhances their destination loyalty. The study suggests that destination marketers should exploit the sport event by bundling destination attributes that extend opportunities for cocreation that may lead to lengthened stays and more spending at the event destination.