This study investigated the relationship of entertainment travelers’ past vacation behavior, vacation satisfaction, perceived vacation value, and intentions to revisit and repurchase. Subjects were inquirers for the purchase of an entertainment package that visited the destination and were systematically selected over a 12-month period. Results suggest that past behavior, satisfaction, and perceived value are good predictors of entertainment vacationers’ intentions to revisit the destination. It was further found that the variables of past behavior, satisfaction, and perceived value are poor predictors of intentions to visit and attend live theater entertainment or book an entertainment package during a visit. Given the relationships between past behavior, satisfaction, perceived value, and intentions to revisit, results of the present study provide important theoretical implications and direction for entertainment destination management.

While it can prove easy to conceptualize of the relationship between residents and tourists as “us versus them,” it devalues the potential for intimate relationships to exist, whereby residents and tourists have many things in common. The theory of emotional solidarity can aid in explaining such an intimate relationship. Developing the framework from previous qualitative work, the purpose of this study is to formulate and validate scales corresponding to the constructs in Durkheim’s theoretical framework of emotional solidarity. Following two initial stages of pilot testing, each scale is included in an onsite self-administered survey instrument, with 455 heads of household completing the instrument in a coastal South Carolina county. Psychometric properties are assessed and each scale is found to be high in internal consistency and construct validity (i.e., convergent and discriminant validity). Implications as well as potential research opportunities concerning emotional solidarity are discussed.

Residents and tourists within destinations are often portrayed as being separate from each other, possessing little in common. Such an approach can undermine the potential for a dynamic, intimate relationship to exist between residents and tourists. This research offers the theory of emotional solidarity, put forth by Emile Durkheim, as a theoretical framework to examine the relationship between residents and tourists. In addition, a series of focus groups with residents of a coastal South Carolina county was conducted to ascertain residents’ feelings about tourists and commonalities with tourists (i.e., shared beliefs, shared behavior, and interaction). Themes corresponding to constructs from Durkheim’s model were generated from the qualitative data analysis. Findings are discussed, along with practical implications and future research options.

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Published studies regarding sport tourism economic impacts tend to estimate the effects of one sport event, offering little opportunity to compare diverse events that cater to different audiences. The purpose of this study was to estimate and compare the economic impacts of visitor expenditures at seven regular, participant-based sport tourism events. All chosen events took place, at least in part, in the state of South Carolina, USA. Primary data collection of expenditure profiles was used in conjunction with input-output analysis to determine economic impact estimates. The results of this study present trends regarding sport tourism event attendance, expenditure rankings and the need for complementary activities that can be of use to sport tourism event planners and government officials interested in maximizing the effectiveness of sport initiatives.