Chapter 8: Profiling Trail Runners by Experience–Use–History, Environmental Consciousness and Travel Carbon Footprint

Sporting events are the most extensive manifestation and core driver of sports tourism because they generate a broad spectrum of economic, socio-cultural and environmental impacts to hosting destinations – as evidenced by a wide body of recent research (e.g. Ahmed, 2017; Chalip & Fairley, 2019; Getz & Page, 2016; Higham, 2021; Pellegrini et al., 2020; Roche et al., 2013). While the focus of much research concerning sporting events and sports tourism usually considers positive impacts (e.g. investments in infrastructure, new employment, additional tax revenues, prolonged tourism season, increased quality of life, social cohesion and pride of local residents, increased participation and knowledge in sports or rejuvenation of devastated sites), more critically highlighted impacts (e.g. increased prices and costs of living, cultural conflicts, traffic problems, security issues or environmental pollution) appear to be underestimated, neglected and require more attention in the scholarly literature (see Cooper, 2020; Kim et al., 2015; Perić, 2018; Wise & Harris, 2019; Wise & Maguire, 2022).