An investigation into the role of place attachment within extreme sport tourism

Extreme sport participation is a growing phenomenon, both in terms of active and passive consumption. Nevertheless this growth is not mirrored in the academic literature where a clear dearth in research into extreme sport tourism consumption is evident. The conceptualisation of sport tourism is of a unique interaction of three components, namely: activity, people and place, although some argue that the role of place is unclear. Place, within a tourism context, is concerned with the destination within which the tourist activity takes place and is linked to attachment and destination loyalty. As the role of place within sport tourism is ambiguous, it is similarly unclear as to what constitutes attachment within sport tourism consumption. This study in responding to calls for research within the context of extreme sports seeks to identify the factors which influence attachment within an extreme sport tourism context. The study is based on the 2014 Isle of Man TT motorcycle race and contributes to the wider understanding of the components of attachment. From this study we propose the development of a theoretical model for researchers who wish to better understand the role of place within an extreme sport tourism context