Structural Equation Modeling of the Government's Role in Iranian Sports Tourism Development

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Sedigheh Eslami 1
Jamshid Hemati 2
Ali Sadeghi 3
1 Assistant Professor, Payamnoor Univesity, Tehran, Iran
2 Assistant Professor, Islamic Azad Univesity,, Behbahan Branch
3 assistant professor in Payame Noor University
10.22034/ntsmj.2026.2063623.1204
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to model the roles of the government in the development of sports tourism. The research is of a mixed type (qualitative-quantitative). In the qualitative part, the Brown and Clark method of theme analysis was used. The statistical population for the qualitative phase of the study consisted of experts in the fields of sports management and tourism. Theoretical sampling was employed, and data collection continued until theoretical saturation was achieved. The statistical population for the quantitative phase comprised researchers and administrative experts in the fields of tourism and sports. According to the Morgan table, the sample size was determined to be 145 participants, who were selected using a random sampling method. The tools used in the qualitative part were semi-structured interviews and research background, and in the quantitative part, the researcher-made questionnaire on the role of the government and the questionnaire on factors affecting the development of sports tourism by Hemmati (2016) were used. The reliability of the questionnaire was also examined and confirmed with the results of Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Inferential analysis of data was performed using structural equation modeling at a significance level of 0.05 using SPSS 19 and LISREL software. The results of the qualitative section were 5 themes, 17 categories, and 63 concepts, while in the quantitative section, using confirmatory factor analysis, the model of government roles including regulation, political, executive management, economic, cultural, and social in the development of sports tourism had a good fit. Therefore, the government plays an influential role in the development of sport tourism industry.
Keywords
"Government roles"
"Sport tourism development"
"Thematic Analysis"
"Tourism Management"
"Public Policy"
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