Identifying and Prioritizing the Consequences of Digital Marketing in Sports Tourism Using Interpretive Structural Modeling

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 PhD Student of Sport Management, Faculty of Sports Sciences and Health, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

2 Professor of Sport Management, Faculty of Sports Sciences and Health, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

3 Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Education, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran

10.22034/sms.2025.143312.1483

Abstract

With the expansion of digital technologies, digital marketing has become a vital tool in attracting sports tourists. This research was conducted in 2024 with the aim of identifying and prioritizing the consequences of digital marketing in sports tourism using the interpretive structural modeling method. The present study was applied and carried out with a mixed approach (qualitative-quantitative) and using the interpretive structural modeling (ISM) method. In the qualitative stage, thematic analysis was used using library studies and semi-structured interviews with 13 experts in sports tourism, marketing, and researchers in these two fields. In the quantitative stage, 15 experts were selected purposively and data were collected through a researcher-made questionnaire. In the qualitative section, 55 basic themes and 10 organizing themes were identified, which were centered around the overarching theme of "Consequences of Digital Marketing in Sports Tourism." The results of the quantitative section showed that these outcomes were categorized into four levels, with the main foundations at the first level. Infrastructure development, as the most influential level, directly affected the third level criteria (tourism economic development, tourist behavioral and attitudinal development, and tourism destination awareness). By presenting an Interpretive Structural Model (ISM), this study provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the outcomes of digital marketing in sports tourism, which can assist managers and policymakers in areas such as marketing strategies, resource allocation, and competitive policymaking. To date, the development of a hierarchical and leveled model of digital marketing outcomes in sports tourism using the ISM method has received limited attention in this field.

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