Abstract

GONZALEZ-GARCIA, RJ; ESCAMILLA-FAJARDO, P; LOPEZ-CARRIL, S  and  NUNEZ-POMAR, J. Residents' perceptions of sports tourism: impacts, quality of life and support for the industry. CPD [online]. 2020, vol.20, n.2, pp.174-188.  Epub July 13, 2020. ISSN 1989-5879.

The sports tourism sector is receiving increasing attention from different social actors, having a high impact on different spheres of society. Tourism not only affects residents' attitudes towards their development, but also their quality of life in general. Once a community or population becomes a tourist destination, the quality of life of local residents is affected by its development. It is therefore important to know what residents' perceptions are of the impact of sports tourism. Therefore, the aim of this study is to analyse the perceptions of the residents of Gran Canaria towards the effects of sports tourism, in areas such as its impact, quality of life and support for the sector. The results of the study indicate that, at higher levels of positive perception by residents of the social, cultural, environmental and economic impacts, there is greater support for the development of tourism. On the other hand, there is also a significant mediating effect of the variable quality of life of the residents, between the relationship of perceived impacts and the support for the development of active and sports tourism in Gran Canaria. These results make it possible to better understand the perspective that residents have towards the sports tourism sector, something that can help guide future decisions on the practice, development and planning of sports tourism.

Keywords : Sport Tourism; Resident perceptions; Quality of life; Social impact and support.

        · abstract in Spanish | Portuguese     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )