The Influence of Event Quality and Behavioural Intentions of Spectators at Le Tour de Langkawi

This study examines the influence of event quality on spectators' behavioral intentions at Le Tour de Langkawi, a major international cycling event held annually in Langkawi, Malaysia. Event quality was operationalized through three core dimensions, namely game quality, access, and security, and the study aimed to determine how strongly each dimension predicted spectators’ intentions to return, recommend, and support future editions of the event. A quantitative, cross-sectional survey design was adopted, and data were collected from 399 spectators (188 males, 47.10%; 211 females, 52.90%) using a structured, bilingual questionnaire adapted from the SPORTSERV instrument. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 26 through simple linear regression and Spearman’s correlation analysis. The regression results showed that all three dimensions were strong, statistically significant predictors of behavioral intentions: game quality (β = 0.971, R² = 0.943, p < 0.001), access (β = 0.976, R² = 0.952, p < 0.001), and security (β = 0.970, R² = 0.941, p < 0.001). Spearman’s correlation analysis similarly revealed very strong, positive, and significant associations between behavioral intentions and game quality (ρ = 0.985, p < 0.001), access (ρ = 0.990, p < 0.001), and security (ρ = 0.899, p < 0.001), with access emerging as the most influential factor overall. These findings indicate that high event quality substantially strengthens spectators’ intentions to return, recommend, and support future events. The study offers practical guidance for event organizers seeking to prioritize logistical access, competitive race quality, and crowd safety to enhance spectator satisfaction and loyalty. Ultimately, strengthening these dimensions of event quality is likely to support the long-term sustainability, reputation, and growth of sports tourism events such as Le Tour de Langkawi within Malaysia’s competitive sports tourism sector.

Event Quality in Sports

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