Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
ANATOLIA SPORT RESEARCH, cilt.6, sa.2, ss.80-92, 2025 (Hakemli Dergi)
ABSTRACT Aim: This study aims to present the Embodied Cognition (EC) theory as a holistic theoretical framework by drawing attention to the inadequacies of traditional cognitive models in explaining sport tourism destination selection processes. Material and Method: Through a theoretical analysis, the key concepts of EC, namely mental simulation, affordances and conceptual metaphors, are adapted to the sport tourism context. This framework reconceptualises tourist decision-making as a dynamic process shaped by bodily experiences, potential actions and environmental interactions rather than by abstract information processing. The tourist's evaluation of a destination is considered a mental and bodily "re-enactment" of potential actions to be experienced in that destination, and as direct perception of the action possibilities offered by the environment in relation to their own bodily capacities. Results: The analysis reveals that the EC framework explains the impact of marketing communication through potential to create experience simulation and destination attractiveness through quality of the action opportunities it offers. It also shows how abstract tourist motivations are combined with concrete tourism experiences through metaphors with bodily origins. These findings suggest that tourist behaviour can be more deeply understood by assuming that the body, mind and environment are inseparable. Conclusion: Embodied Cognition theory offers a powerful and fruitful theoretical lens for understanding sport tourism. It opens up new research horizons for academics and provides a concrete roadmap for destination managers, marketers and policy makers to develop more effective strategies centred on the "lived experience" of the tourist. This approach emphasises the idea that sport tourism is an "embodied" experience, not just a place to visit.