Sports tourism: historiography and proposal of an analytical model

Purpose This paper traces and critically analyzes the historical evolution of the concept of Sports Tourism to address its current conceptual fragmentation and to fill the gap of a unified framework by proposing an integrated analytical model based on three dimensions and a decisive factor. Design/methodology/approach A systematic qualitative synthesis of state-of-the-art literature was carried out, following a specific protocol on Web of Science and Scopus to select a foundational corpus of 29 articles. The proposed model was subjected to preliminary validation by a panel of 15 experts to verify its theoretical coherence and applicability. Findings Sports Tourism can be understood in three distinct moments: (1) Initial definitions (until 1999), (2) Consolidation (2000–2015) and (3) Emerging themes in Sports Tourism (from 2016 onward). Sports Tourism has advanced significantly in the last 40 years, consolidating itself as a research theme and fostering studies, standing out as an emerging theme for the areas of sport and tourism. Research limitations/implications The scope was limited to the literature in English and Portuguese, highlighting opportunities for broader linguistic, geographic and empirical exploration in future studies. Practical implications This study advances the field by proposing an adaptable model for analyzing Sports Tourism, offering a relevant reference for research, policy and market strategies across diverse contexts. Originality/value An original analytical and categorization model is proposed. This model is a conceptual advance, integrating the strengths of previous fragmented typologies into a single, unified structure encompassing three dimensions: sports spectatorship, sports practice and sports heritage. The model’s preliminary validation by experts is also documented.