IDENTIFYING THE KEY FACTORS INFLUENCING THE SPORTS TOURISM DESTINATION COMPETITIVENESS: A CASE STUDY OF THE GREATER BAY AREA, CHINA

Sports tourism has grown significantly in recent times. Despite the increasing number of tourists, companies and destinations involved in sports tourism, there is very limited knowledge of the key factors influencing the sports tourism destination competitiveness (STDC). Destinations should be aware of how to achieve competitive advantage by grasping the key competitiveness factors. This paper aims to identify the critical factors that influence the STDC of urban agglomeration of Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). In this research, the literature analysis method and the fuzzy Delphi method were employed. Firstly, the authors conducted a literature review to summarize the factors identified in current literature. Then investigated 5 industrial experts and 5 academic experts to determine the essential factors (using fuzzy Delphi method). The findings showed that STDC is not only affected by the general factors influencing tourism competitiveness but also by sport-specific factors. This study identified 14 key factors including sports event, natural sports resources, cultural sports resources, tourism infrastructure, sports infrastructure, quality of service, destination marketing, policy and planning, climate, human resource, technology, sports tourism activities, accessibility, security and safety that influence STDC of the GBA. Sports tourism stakeholders especially government and managers in the GBA may benefit from the findings since accurately grasping the key competitive factors is helpful to appropriately match available resources and management strategies and enhance the overall level of sports tourism competitiveness.