Push–pull analysis: the mediating role of promotion types relative to visit intention to a sports museum

PurposeAlthough sport museums are considered an important sector in nostalgia sport tourism, annual visitations of the major sport Hall of Fames (HoF) have been decreasing, often resulting in operational and financial difficulties for the HoF. The current study examined the relationship between sport museum image, motivation, constraints, monetary and non-monetary promotions (as a mediator), and visit intention among those who have attended or never attended.Design/methodology/approachData was collected from the residents in the Northeast Ohio area via an online survey questionnaire using Qualtrics (N = 1,607). Two sets of data parameters were generated based on consumers previous visitation to Pro Football HoF (visited group n = 754; never-visited group n = 853) and each group's monetary and non-monetary promotion models (total of four models) were analyzed. Descriptive statistics and reliability tests were processed via IBM SPSS Statistics 26 and the structural relationships among the constructs were examined using SmartPLS 3.FindingsAmong all the antecedents, positive perceived image of HoF has been identified as the most significant predictor for both promotions and visit (revisit) intention. Social motivation was found to be a strong driver for visiting a sports museum regardless of the types of promotions. Promotions' mediation effects were found. The monetary promotion between cost constraints and visit intention implied, cost constraints can be mitigated through monetary promotion.Originality/valueThis is the first study examining the role of relationship between image, motivation, constraints and visit intention relative to sport museums. Results provide practical insights for the sport museum marketers and researchers relative to visit intension.