Sport Tourism and Life Satisfaction: A Comparative Analysis of Non-sport Tourism, Participation-based Sport Tourism, and Spectator-based Sport Tourism

Abstract

Although the Japan Sports Agency has actively promoted sport tourism, few studies have directly compared the impacts of sport tourism on life satisfaction across non-sport tourists, participation-based sport tourists, and spectator-based sport tourists. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of sport tourism on life satisfaction and compare its impact among non-sport tourists, participation-based sport tourists, and spectator-based sport tourists. Utilizing a two-wave prospective longitudinal design, usable data were collected from 419 tourists through online surveys administered before and after travel, categorizing participants based on their engagement in sport activities at destinations. Our sample consisted of 331 non-sport tourists, 67 participation-based sport tourists, and 21 spectator-based sport tourists. Our analysis revealed significant increases in life satisfaction across all groups. The impact was comparable across the groups, indicating the importance of overall, rather than specific, tourism experiences on life satisfaction. However, the different effect sizes suggests that the casual nature of spectator-based sport tourism might provide greater benefits to life satisfaction than the more demanding participation-based sport tourism. This study confirmed the positive impact of sport tourism on life satisfaction among Japanese adults, in line with the Japan Sports Agency’s initiatives aimed at enhancing well-being through sports, highlighting the need for further research to support the ongoing development of sport tourism in Japan.