Chapter 5: Winter Sports Mega-Event Destination Experience: An Experience Economy Model Perspective During the Post-COVID-19 Pandemic

Travelling during this pandemic can be troublesome, and yet people continue to face the hassle of doing just this (Albattat et al., 2020; Chemli et al., 2020; Toanoglou et al., 2022). Entertainment (and equivalent synonyms in the tourism literature) is often highlighted, not merely regarding personal motivation and experiences, but as a part of human nature (Nicholson, 1997). Tourism experience studies rapidly started growing in the 1970s (Peric, 2015). In recent years, a more ‘innovative’ travelling experience is increasingly important, both for the industry itself and for academic study (Valeri, 2022a, 2022b). At the same time, existing sports tourism (ST) literature seems to exclusively address the entertainment experience (e.g. Chang et al., 2020; Hinch & Higham, 2005; Seo, 2013). Other potential kinds of ST experiences have not been systemically analyzed. Thus, a more profound understanding of the ST experience asks for additional exploration.