Sport Motivation as Driver for Segmenting of Sport Tourists in Gheshm Island

Background. Motivations of sport tourists are manifold. This also applies to the field of water sport tourism and the market for sport tourists is very diverse , which has not yet intensely been analyzed by researchers. In order to analyze motivations and to reach target groups such as water sport tourists adequately, market segmentation is necessary. Objectives. The purpose of this paper is to investigate sport motivations of tourists during their holidays as well as the tourist’s participation in water sport activities, using the example of the German North Sea Island Sylt. Methods. Thereby, consumer profiles will be established. A quantitative research paradigm was chosen. A survey was conducted using a standardized self-administered questionnaire. The sample comprised n =200 participants. Two indices, one for sport motivation and one for travel motivation were constructed. Factor, as well as cluster, analysis was applied to segment the sample. Furthermore, discriminate analysis was used to identify differences between the two clusters. Finally, cross tabulations underlined the differences between the clusters. Results. The cluster analysis based on motivational factors revealed two groups, the casuals and the committed. Significant differences were detected between the groups with regard to sport and holiday consumption patterns and sport expenditures. However, there were no significant socio-demographic differences between the clusters. Conclusion. The results of this research indicate the diverse nature of water sport tourists and their underlying motivations. It is shown that holiday sport motivation depends on the actual sports practiced by the travelers, implying that prior sport motivation and involvement influence travelers sport motivation. Overall, this research highlights the importance of segmenting sport tourists.