Athletes as destination ambassadors: understanding the role of athlete attachment and sport involvement on country-of-origin’s image and intention to visit

The purpose of this study is to examine (1) the effects of athlete attachment on the athlete’s country-of-origin (COO) image and visit intentions, and (2) how athlete attachment is influenced by individuals’ involvement with sport (in general and to specific sport). Data were collected from four European countries (the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy) using an online questionnaire (n = 818) focused on one prominent tennis athlete and his COO. A confirmatory factor analysis assessed the psychometric properties of the constructs, and a subsequent structural equation model was conducted to test the research hypotheses. Results indicate the relationships between athlete attachment, COO image and visit intentions were positive and significant among participants of all countries. General sport involvement was positively related to specific sport involvement among participants of all countries, but only impacted athlete attachment for one country participants. In turn, specific sport involvement was significantly related to athlete attachment in all countries and showed a positive effect on visit intentions among participants of one country. These findings advance the understanding of leisure contexts by highlighting athlete’s importance as country ambassadors and generating destination benefits.