Driving first-time and repeat spectators to a motor sport event

Abstract

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the differences in expenditure and satisfaction level between first-time and repeat spectators to a motor sport event, as well as differences in their intention to return and to recommend the host destination. Design/methodology/approach – A structured questionnaire was developed and data were collected on-site during the 2012 Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) World Rally Championship (WRC) in Sardinia via 210 interviews. A series of descriptive analysis, independent t-tests, chi-square tests and regression analysis were run for the purposes of the study. Findings – Findings showed first-timers spend more and are more satisfied than repeaters, even if no significant differences were reported. Repeaters reported to be more willing to return and to recommend, with significant differences, only in the intention to return. Research limitations/implications – The study is based on a convenience sample of a relatively small size, and it might be influenced by the idiosyncratic characteristics of the location. Further, it does not consider the mediating effect that the budget of spectators and their travel/event career ladder can exert over their behaviour. Practical implications – Destination marketers and event organizers need to run their marketing operations to renew their customer mix and/or to increase the standard level of quality to be delivered to repeaters. Further, their marketing and communication strategy should be personalized, and incentives should be given to encourage both groups to purchase multiple products simultaneously. Originality/value – The paper adds to the growing, and often still inconsistent, research aiming to compare first-timers’ and repeat visitors’ behaviours by offering insights from the context of motor sport events, where no published paper exist so far.

The Mediating Role of Major Sport Events in Visitors’ Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction, and Intention to Revisit a Destination

“…Researchers in the field of sport event tourism have studied the connection between satisfaction of both active event participants [28][29][30][31][32] and event spectators [10,11,[22][23][24][25][26][27] and future intentions to revisit, with somewhat different results. Studies including active sporting event participants mostly aim to find connection between satisfaction with the event and future intention to revisit the same event or other events in the same sport.…”

“…Satisfaction seems to be one of the commonly researched factors, whether in connection with repeat visitation directly [17][18][19][20][21] or as a mediator [16] between some determinants and revisit intention. Authors in the field of sporting event tourism have focused on the relationship between satisfaction among event visitors [10,11,[22][23][24][25][26][27] or active event participants [28][29][30][31][32] and intentions to return to the destination where the event was held, or even to the event itself [33][34][35]. Prior experience with an event or the destination where the event is held has proven to have a significant effect on intentions to return [19,27,29,36], which can be attributed to the fact that visitors are familiar with the destination and their decision about a future visit is less prone to risk [22,27].…”

Destination personality: how to make the metaphor simpler?

“…Previous literature suggests that first-time visitors tend to have shorter stays at a destination (Del et al, 2014;Lau & McKercher, 2004) and have more complex and discerned experiences than repeat visitors (Schroeder et al, 2013). Therefore, compared with repeat visitors, marketing strategies aimed at attracting potential first-time tourists can be challenging to develop.…”

“…Additionally, first-time visitors typically explore a destination widely and participate in a variety of activities, such as landmark attractions and notable events (Lee et al, 2009), with significant differences in considering the various dimensions of destination perceptions (Del et al, 2014;Kruger et al, 2012).…”

Investigating value added from heritage assets: An analysis of landmark historical sites in Wales

“…Another variable relates to the percentage of visitors that were first time. Visitors coming to a site for the first time might purchase more goods and services resulting from the novelty of the first visit and may even be spending more because of inexperience of cheaper options (see also Del Chiappa, Tinaz, & Michele Turco, ; Hennessey, Dongkoo, & Macdonald, , for different spending patterns of first time visitors).…”