Examining the role of social networks in sports tourism entrepreneurship opportunities in Ahvaz city

Poster Presentation
Paper ID : 2200-SSRC
Authors
1.Assistant Professor, Sport Management in Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran.
2MA, Geography of urban planning, Education Department, Andica, Iran.
3MA, sport management, Education Department, Andica, Iran.
4. MA, Educational Sciences educational planning, Education Department, Andica, Iran.
Abstract
Introduction: Tourism is one of the most important growing industries and the development of the tourism industry needs comprehensive and appropriate programs to be successful in attracting tourists. In recent decades, the sports tourism industry has been mentioned as one of the largest and most diverse industries. Many countries consider this industry as one of their main sources of income and are trying to develop this industry. The purpose of the research was to investigate the role of social networks in sports tourism entrepreneurship opportunities in Ahvaz city.
Methodology: The research method in this study was descriptive-analytical with a theoretical-applied nature, which was conducted in the field. The statistical population of this research included all sports experts and teams, tourism experts and managers of travel agencies in Ahvaz city, and due to the small size of the statistical population, the statistical sample size of this research was considered equal to the number of the statistical population. The research tool was a researcher-made questionnaire, the validity of which was confirmed by 15 experts in sports, tourism and media management, and its reliability was 0.86. Data analysis was done using the Kolmogorov Smironov test, one-sample t-test, and Friedman's rank test using SPSS version 26 and Smart PLS 3 software.
Findings: The findings indicated that social network advertising has a significant relationship with the travel intention and perceptions of sports tourists. The tested model had a good fit, which indicates a significant relationship between the conceptual model of the research and the tested model. The results of the research showed that advertising, tourist attractions and cultural capabilities were in the first to third priority among the factors affecting the development of sports tourism in Ahvaz.
Conclusions: The relevant managers can promote and expand sports tourism and sports events by using advertisements and raising the quality of infrastructure, accommodation centers, holding national sports conferences and promoting the culture of hospitality in the city. Tourists take action. Also, by increasing the use of virtual space, it encourages sports tourists to Ahvaz city and creates more entrepreneurship in this field.
Keywords