۱- Introduction

۲- Literature review

۳- Data and variables

۴- Methodology

۵- Results

۶- Discussion

۷- Conclusions

References

Abstract

This article analyses the determinants of attendees’ tourism spending at professional basketball matches during the 2012/2013 season. For this purpose, it applies a linear quantile regression and considers the effect of specific sports event variables which have rarely been assessed in this type of study. Empirical results confirm that the determinants of expenditure have a different influence depending on the spending level. Individual spending is principally influenced by the origin of the attendees as well as by several other sports factors such as the time the match takes place, the admission price, or the sporting level of the rival team. The study establishes two levels of spending to identify the different behaviors that correspond to each of the factors under study. The findings could provide a useful input into tourism strategies related to the hosting of sport events.

Introduction

The analysis of the individual spending behavior of visitors to specific destinations is increasingly becoming a topic of interest, according to Brida, Disegna, and Osti (2013), Craggs and Schofield (2009), Dolnicar et al. (2008), Hung, Shang, and Wang (2012) and Nicolau and Más (2005). Tourism demand is mainly analyzed using a macro approach, in which the unit of analysis is a set of aggregated data. These kinds of studies use economic indicators such as the influence of the tourism sector on GDP, GVA or employment atthe national or regional level. Individual spending behavior and the sociodemographic and economic factors that affect spending patterns (i.e., the micro approach) have been studied to a lesser extent (Brida et al., 2013; Fredman, 2008; Laesser & Crouch, 2006). Reviews of the previous literature on tourism demand including the works of Lim (1997, 2006) and Crouch (1994) reflect that there is a lack of studies employing micro-economic analysis. Lim (2006) explains that only 8 out ofthe 124 articles studied employed this type of analysis. Wang and Davidson (2010) indicate that the first studies concerning demand at a micro level were carried out by Mak, Moncur, and Yonamine (1977). Subsequently, this type of work aroused the interest of researchers once again in the 1990s. As of then, interest increased rapidly, especially at the turn of the century. In the case of sports tourism, the same situation is observed. Studies have neglected the specific aspects of products and services and have focused on economic impact and the use of aggregated data. It therefore now seems reasonable to also focus on understanding the spending behavior of sports tourists who come as spectators (Brida, Schubert, Osti, & Barquet 2011; Cannon & Ford, 2002; Yusof, Shah, & Geok, 2012) and participants (Dixon, Backman, Backman, & Norman, 2012; Downward, Lumsdon, & Weston, 2009; Gibson, 2005).