Involvement with the FIFA Men’s World Cup 2022 and Intentions to Visit Qatar: A Study with Indian Football Fans

The general objective of the study was to explore and describe the relationships between fans’ involvement with the 2022 Men’s FIFA World Cup, their perceptions of Qatar as a tourism destination and their intentions to visit in the future. The study focuses on India as a potential outbound tourism market because of its size and strategic importance for tourism in Qatar. We drew on brand knowledge and signalling theory to frame the relationship between involvement, destination image and intentions to visit Qatar after the World Cup. We collected data from a large sample of Indian football fans (n = 301) through an online survey and tested a structural equation model. Results showed that involvement with the World Cup could positively affect perceptions of Qatar as a tourism destination based on its attributes (attractions, hospitality) and benefits. However, the attributes of Qatar were not enough to inform attitudes towards future visits to the country. Findings supported a direct impact of involvement on intentions to visit rather than an indirect impact through destination image. This has direct theoretical implications for future studies and practical implications for Qatar and similar countries trying to capitalise on sport mega-events to increase international tourism.