Sport Tourism as a Future-Oriented Public Health Strategy: Developing a Sustainable Development Model for Qeshm Island
Keywords:
sport tourism, sustainable development, governance, infrastructure, strategyAbstract
This study developed a sustainable development model for sport tourism in Qeshm Island by framing sport tourism as a future-oriented public health strategy that can generate economic benefits while supporting active lifestyles and environmental stewardship. A sequential exploratory mixed-methods design was employed. In the qualitative phase, 23 semi-structured interviews with experts in sport management, tourism, business, and environmental management were analyzed using thematic analysis, resulting in 50 indicators organized into 10 components and five dimensions: natural and environmental resources, infrastructure and services, economic factors, socio-cultural factors, and management and governance. In the quantitative phase, 560 stakeholders of sport tourism development in Qeshm were surveyed using a researcher-made questionnaire with confirmed validity and reliability. Descriptive findings showed that, except for natural and environmental resources (M = 3.10), other dimensions were below the desired midpoint: infrastructure and services (M = 2.15), economic factors (M = 2.05), socio-cultural factors (M = 2.43), and management and governance (M = 1.78). Structural equation modeling indicated that all five dimensions significantly and positively predicted sustainable sport tourism development, with the strongest effects for management and governance (β = 0.35) and infrastructure and services (β = 0.30). Model fit indices supported acceptable fit. The model provides an operational roadmap for policy and planning to convert Qeshm’s natural potential into sustainable, health-supportive sport tourism outcomes.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Keyvan Gharibpoor (Author); Leila Saffari; Mokhtar Nasiri Farsani, Nima Majedi (Author)
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