TOWARDS A FRAMEWORK FOR RESILIENCE BUILDING IN SPORT EVENT TOURISM IN THE DEVELOPING CONTEXT

This paper adds to the existing body of knowledge on sport event tourism by proposing the development of a framework for resilience This paper adds to the existing body of knowledge on sport event tourism by proposing the development of a framework for resilience building and sustainability. The proposed framework draws on previous research on sport event tourism and resilience. Grounding the study is a multidimensional conceptual framework based on the sport tourism framework, stakeholder theory and resilience theory. Using a mixed methods approach, phase 1 of the research gat hered in depth qualitative data from 28 key informants in sport event tourism on crisis management and resilience building in the sector. The second phase of the study utilised quantitative methods, gathering responses from 1002 sport event tourists to determine their future sport event tourism behaviour, requirements and willingness to attend future sport events. The proposed framework presented in the study provides guidelines on how resilience can be achieved in sport event tourism. It also illustrates that external shocks can be used as tools to develop and enhance resilience in sport event tourism through sophisticated stakeholder engagement, the development of guiding policy that addresses resilience capacity building, and the reconsideration of the sport event tourism product as one that is adaptable and dynamic. The findings of the study show that the resilience of the sport event tourism sector is dependent on a product that is adaptable and flexible, meets the needs of changing demands, and which is developed through collaborative efforts. Stakeholders must be willing to adapt their previous offerings by using new innovations and developing new relationships along the sport event tourism value chain.