رضا حسین وند

This study investigates the impact of tourist participation on the performance of sports tourism complexes in Guilan Province, with green product innovation as a mediating variable. Given the concurrent expansion of the tourism industry and the paramount importance of sustainable development, this research addresses a critical intersection. The research is applied in purpose, descriptive-correlational in nature, and field-based in execution. The statistical population included managers and experts of tourism complexes, organizers of sports tourism tours, and adventure sports tourists in 2023. Data were collected using standardized questionnaires measuring customer participation, green product innovation, and sports tourism complex performance. Reliability was confirmed via Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability, while face and content validity were established by a panel of 13 sports management professors. Data were analysed using path analysis with PLS-SEM (version 4). The results demonstrated that tourist participation significantly directly affects both the performance (t = 2.783) and green product innovation (t = 33.004) of the complexes. Furthermore, green product innovation itself had a significant direct effect on performance (t = 10.313). Crucially, the mediating role of green product innovation in the relationship between tourist participation and performance was confirmed and statistically significant (t = 9.138). This study concludes that fostering tourist participation and integrating green product innovation are essential strategies for enhancing the performance of sports tourism complexes, leading to greater environmental compatibility and economic development.