Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
World Leisure Journal, 2026 (ESCI, Scopus)
Sports tourism has become an important form of leisure consumption, shaped by increasing mobility and the diversification of sport-related travel experiences. Drawing on behavioral economics and mental accounting theory, this study examines pain of payment in sports tourism expenditures and explores cross-cultural differences between the United States and Türkiye. Data were collected from 400 individuals who engage with sports as spectators, team members, or fans, and analyzed using Hayes’ PROCESS macro (Version 4.0). The findings indicate that pain of payment differs significantly between the two countries, with participants from the United States reporting higher levels of payment-related discomfort. While sport context showed a non-significant interaction trend with country, payment method and expenditure purpose do not exhibit significant moderating effects. In contrast, total expenditure amount significantly moderates the relationship, as cross-national differences are more pronounced at lower and medium spending levels but diminish at higher expenditure levels. Overall, the results underscore the importance of cultural and psychological processes in shaping sports tourism spending beyond purely economic indicators.