Determinants of Marathoners’ event expenditures: an in-depth exploration of past experience

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the determinants of Marathon event spending by estimated expenditure models. Design/methodology/approach This study analyzes the impact of socio-demographic and travel-context factors on aggregated and disaggregated expenditures by event visitors who participated in the Fargo Marathon in Fargo, North Dakota. Findings The results indicate that event satisfaction does not have an influence on any types of expenditure. As the planning time increases, however, there is a positive effect on total expenditure. First-time visitors are shown to spend more money, especially on food and beverage, lodging and total expenditure. Conversely, the number of past experiences of the event had a negative influence on these expenditure types. Originality/value In addition to travel-related factors and socio-demographic variables, researchers had not examined the influence of repeat visits on travelers’ spending. The originality of this study lies in revealing that repeat visits decrease spending in specific categories, especially in the case of a Marathon event.