A joyful river ride: A transformative event experience

Sports events are becoming synonymous with almost every destination, attracting a large number of participants who are looking for a new experience. Rafting as a form of active sports tourism is becoming an increasingly popular activity. It is one which can provide an unforgettable experience and can have a transformational effect on people's lives. This paper aims to discover what experiences lead to satisfaction for rafting event participants and consequently, their personal growth. In addition, satisfaction as a mediator between flow and experience co-creation and personal growth was investigated. The research was conducted using a structured questionnaire completed by 207 participants of the rafting event “Joyful Ride” that is traditionally held on the river Ibar, in Kraljevo, Serbia. SEM analysis determined a positive impact of the flow and experience co-creation dimensions on satisfaction and its consequent effect on the personal growth of participants in the event, while satisfaction was identified as a significant mediator in transformational process, from experience co-creation to personal growth. The study contributes to the existing literature by providing a better insight into what the antecedents of transformative experiences for individuals participating in sports rafting events are.