Active sports tourism: active sports tourists competing in the 2011 MBNA Chester Marathon

Miller, AR (2013) Active sports tourism: active sports tourists competing in the 2011 MBNA Chester Marathon. In: Contemporary Cases in Sport Volume 1. Contemporary Cases . Goodfellow Publishers, Oxford, pp. 158-182. ISBN 9781908999214 (hardback)

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Abstract

Sports tourism has received increasing attention in the academic literature of late, as well as from the industry by tourism suppliers, event organisers and destination managers. This niche market is growing in size and encompasses a wide range of tourism experiences, from taking part in sporting holidays through to spectating at sporting events. The phenomena of mass participation in sport and tourism would seem to be closely related, with sport and tourism activity increasingly taking place simultaneously. This case study seeks to add further depth to the consideration of this vibrant sector of the tourism industry by focusing upon the active sports tourist. Data collected from runners at the MBNA Chester Marathon who had at least one overnight stay is presented and then placed within the broader context of sports tourism, active sports tourism and destination marathons.