EXPLORATION OF GENDER PATTERNS AND DIFFERENCES IN ENDURANCE SPORTS EVENT TOURISM

Event tourism represents one of the rapidly expanding segments within the realm of sports tourism globally. This research aims to investigate the emerging patterns in sports event participation and sports tourism among endurance athletes, with a specific emphasis on gender distinctions. Using a survey methodology, a dataset comprising 609 endurance athletes was analyzed to examine their sporting habits, behaviors, motivations, and attitudes. Special attention was given to preferences for sports events and tourism-related aspects. The findings indicate that female athletes tend to prioritise external motivational factors more than their male counterparts. In terms of sports event preferences, female respondents attributed significantly higher importance to factors such as race accessibility, affordability, and program offerings. Regarding travel behavior, female athletes exhibited greater inclinations towards traveling with family and supporters, as well as planning supplementary tourism activities around their race engagements. The study underscores the importance of recognizing gender-specific preferences and motivations in sports event participation and sports tourism among endurance athletes, highlighting the need for tailored strategies to enhance engagement and satisfaction among both male and female participants.