Author Identifier (ORCID)

Songshan (Sam) Huang: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4990-2788

Abstract

This study aims to develop a scale to measure marathon tourists' personal development (MTPD) by employing a rigorous scale development methodology. A qualitative study involving 21 in-depth interviews was conducted to generate a pool of items. These items were then validated through two extensive surveys with 504 and 452 participants, respectively. Results show a six-dimension 23-item scale for measuring tourists’ personal development in marathon tourism. These dimensions are self-perception, personal willpower, physical quality, emotion, skills, and ability. This study not only facilitates further empirical research in sport tourism but also provides actionable insights for marathon destination managers to enhance precision marketing strategies. Moreover, by applying the serious leisure framework to marathon tourism, this study offers significant theoretical contributions, paving the way for future interdisciplinary research in sports and leisure.

Document Type

Journal Article

Date of Publication

12-1-2024

Volume

61

Publication Title

Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management

Publisher

Elsevier

School

School of Business and Law

RAS ID

75862

Funders

National Natural Science Foundation of China (42171223)

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Comments

This is an Authors Accepted Manuscript version of an article published by Elsevier in Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management. The published version is available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2024.09.013

Zhou, B., Wang, L., Huang, S. S., & Huang, M. (2024). Personal development of marathon tourists: Scale development and validation. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 61, 78-90. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2024.09.013

First Page

78

Last Page

90

Available for download on Thursday, December 31, 2026

Share

 
COinS
 

Link to publisher version (DOI)

10.1016/j.jhtm.2024.09.013