Sport tourism as the celebration of subculture

Tournaments designed to attract sport participants to a destination have become significant elements of tourism marketing. This study examines participants' motives for traveling to a women's flag football tournament. In addition to collection of observational data, participants were interviewed, tournament communications analyzed, and tournament records reviewed. It is shown that participants seek opportunities to share and affirm their identities as football players. It is the occasion to celebrate a subculture shared with others front distant places. rather than the site itself, that attracts them. Implications For marketing and for theories of sport tourism are discussed. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.