Understanding tourist satisfaction and revisit intention in sports tourism: the role of event attributes, hosting destination characteristics, and travel motives in Langkawi

Sporting events have emerged as one of the fastest-growing industries in the tourism sector, generating significant economic impacts through direct tourist spending. Malaysia, with its numerous potential tourism destinations, stands to gain substantially from this trend. Among these, Langkawi Island, known for its breathtaking landscapes and well-established tourism infrastructure, has been identified as a key location for sport-based tourism. However, despite hosting several international sporting events annually, Langkawi has yet to establish itself as a premier sporting tourism hub in Malaysia. The reasons behind this underperformance remain largely unexplored. This study seeks to analyse the relationships between key variables, including the attributes of sporting tourism events, the characteristics of the hosting destination, and travel motives, in shaping tourists’ revisit intentions, emphasising the mediating effects of sports tourist satisfaction to a more comprehensive result. Drawing on the Theory of Planned Behaviour and Leiper’s Tourist Attraction System, a theoretical framework is constructed to bridge gaps in existing literature and enhance understanding of these dynamics. Data for the study were collected through an online survey from 302 sports tourists who attended events in Langkawi between 2020 to 2023. The data were analysed using SPSS version 28 and SmartPLS version 4.0 software. The findings indicate that scenic beauty, landscape diversity, and the recreational offerings during events significantly influence tourists’ satisfaction, which in turn mediates the relationship between event attributes, destination characteristics, and travel motives in predicting revisit intentions. Specifically, β-values for satisfaction were found to be significant with revisit intention (β = 0.424, p < 0.05), and R² values for revisit intentions were 0.549, indicating moderate explanatory power. The study contributes methodologically by employing advanced modelling techniques to reveal the direct and indirect effects of various factors on revisit intentions. The implications for destination management and event organisers include the need for targeted strategies to enhance the characteristics of Langkawi’s sporting events, such as improving event quality, marketing scenic attractions, and strengthening satisfaction drivers, in order to increase future tourist returns. These findings offer a clearer, data-driven approach for positioning Langkawi as a premier destination for sporting tourism.