Does Sports Tourism Development in Rural Communities Improve the Subjective Well-Being of Residents? Empirical Evidence from Huangsha Village in Jiangxi, China

Developing sports tourism to attract more visitors and bring more employment opportunities to residents has become an important means of promoting rural revitalization in China. However, its impact on the well-being of rural residents has not been explored. Based on first-hand questionnaire data collected from Huangsha Village in China and the methods of factor analysis and multiple regression analysis, this study investigates the influence of perceived impacts of sports tourism on the subjective well-being of rural residents. The results indicate that the more positive the rural residents' perception of sports tourism impacts, the better their subjective well-being. The participation of residents in sports tourism was confirmed to be a mediator. This study provides a theoretical foundation and practical guide for the sustainable development of rural sports tourism destinations from the residents' perspective, which may also contribute meaningfully to our understanding of tourism development from a resource management perspective.