Identification of the factors of sporting electronic sports in Iran

Subject Areas : Regional Planning

Sheida Valaki ¹ , Seyed Ehsan Amirhosseini ² , Ali Pirzad ³

1 - Department of sport management,Yasooj branch, Islamic Azad University, Yasooj, Iran
2 - Department of Sport Management, Yasooj branch,Islamic Azad University, Yasooj, Iran
3 - Department of management, Yasooj branch,Islamic Azad University, Yasooj, Iran

Received: 2019-06-13 Accepted : 2019-10-18 Published : 2020-10-22

Keywords: Delphi Model, Sport Tourism, Electronic Tourism,

Abstract :

         The purpose of this study is to identify and prioritize the factors of electronic tourism in Iran. This study was applied in terms of purpose and descriptive in terms of implementation which was conducted in two stages. In the first stage, by reviewing the literature related to the field and interviewing the researchers, the qualitative analysis was conducted. In the second stage, the Delphi method was conducted with a survey of 100 sport and tourism management experts across the country to the extent of theoretical agreement. Questionnaire data processing was performed using SPSS 23 software. In this study descriptive statistics were used for data analysis such as: data classification and arrangement, determination of central index (mean), dispersion index (standard deviation), and numerical value of KMO statistic for controlling data suitability and the Bartlett test is calculated.  Also in the inferential statistics section, exploratory factor analysis was used, and with orthogonal time, the factors were extracted by Varimax method, Then, by examining the components of electronic sport tourism in Iran, factors were prioritized at the highest level: Development of sport tourism with 0.02 significance, at the second level: information technology structure, management and planning, rules and policy making with 0.03 significance, and at the third level: culture and advertising, facilities and financial means with 0.05 meaningful are.
Extended Abstract
Introduction:
       Sport tourism in the post-modern era is one of the political geographical levers of tourism for countries in terms of attracting capital and income (Karimi, 2016:15). Many countries derive their main income from the industry (Neosho, 2012: 19-39). The need to pay attention to the factors affecting the development of e-sports tourism in a country such as Iran, which has many historical and natural attractions, as well as promoting the position of Iran in the tourism sector and attracting domestic and foreign tourists as one of the relative advantages of development and expansion, A country is a must. Electronic sport tourism can be helpful in adopting measures to identify priorities, strengthen competencies in the industry and ultimately attract tourism and sport tourism (Research Authors, 2019). Along with its tourist and historical attractions, Iran has the potential to set up various locations and create well-equipped sports sites. The results of this study help policymakers to choose a more appropriate path for the development and expansion of e-sports tourism.
Methodology:
This study was applied in terms of purpose and descriptive in terms of implementation which was carried out in two stages. In the first stage, by reviewing the literature related to the field and interviewing the researchers, the qualitative analysis was conducted. In the second stage, the Delphi method was conducted with a survey of 100 sport and tourism management experts across the country to the extent of theoretical agreement. Data analysis was done using SPSS 23 software. In the present study, a researcher-made questionnaire with Delphi technique with W Kendall's coefficient of agreement was obtained at the significant level of 0.04 indicating the validity and reliability of the referees. In this study, descriptive statistics and KMO statistic and Bartlett test were used to analyze the data. Also in the inferential statistics section, exploratory factor analysis was used and factors were extracted by orthogonal method by Varimex method, then factors were prioritized by examining the components of electronic sport tourism in Iran.
Results:
      Demographic findings showed that 25% of masters and 75% of PhDs were educated and 40% of respondents were female and 60% were male. Also, by age group 25% are 30-39 years old, 40% are 40-49 years old and 35% are 50-59 years old. Demographic findings showed that 25% of masters and 75% of PhDs were educated and 40% of respondents were female and 60% were male. Also, by age group 25% are 30-39 years old, 40% are 40-49 years old and 35% are 50-59 years old. Research findings with exploratory factor analysis showed that after studying and identifying the factors affecting e-sport backbone in Iran, 6 main factors were ranked in order of priority: sport tourism, information technology structure, management and planning, rules and policy, facilities and they are financial, cultural and advertising.The results showed that in terms of prioritizing the significance levels, the highest factor included: Sport tourism with 0.02 level of significance, in the second stage: IT structure, management and planning, policy rules with 0.03 level of significance and finally facilities. And financial power, culture, and advertising are significant at the 0.05 level.
Conclusion:
         Iran in southwest Asia, due to its natural, architectural and cultural attractions, can become one of the most attractive countries for tourism and especially sports tourism. The results of field studies are. Factors Influencing the Development of Electronic Sport Tourism were prioritized in three groups of factors. The most influential factor in the development of electronic sport tourism is sport tourism. The second influential factor in the development of e-sports tourism is: IT structure, management and planning, rules and policy making. The third factor that contributes to the development of e-sports tourism: opportunities, finances, culture and advertising.
* According to the results of factor analysis, the factors of e-sports tourism were extracted in six groups including: 1-sports tourism 2-information technology structure 3- management and planning, 4-rules and policy-making 5-financial possibilities and 6- culture And advertising.
These findings are in line with research findings by: Taqi Fard and Asadian Ardakani (2016), Ali Akbari et al (2019), Kiproto et al (2011). Like other industries, the tourism industry has not lost sight of the emergence of information and communication technology. To this end, sufficient investment in research and development, increasing the share of science and technology, interacting with international organizations, empowering human resources to create sustainable employment, aligning economic policies, technology and innovation, the need to reform laws and regulations. Particularly in the tourism sector and in facilitating business start-ups should be the focus of planners and managers (Ali Akbari et al., 2019: 13).

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