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The integration of sports tourism industry plays a crucial role in fostering high-quality regional economic growth, enhancing industrial coordination, improving quality of life and promoting sustainable tourism development, particularly in cross-border regions. However, existing research has predominantly focused on macro-level policy and market analyses, paying limited attention to micro-level drivers and underlying mechanisms. To address this gap, this study adopts a mixed-methods approach, using the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) as a case study. Grounded Theory is first employed to identify key drivers and construct a conceptual model of their dynamic mechanisms. Subsequently, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) is applied to empirically test the model. The results confirm six significant drivers that positively influencing integration outcomes: government behavior, resource environment, enterprise development, market demand, technological innovation, and human capital. Notably, the analysis reveals substantial differences in their impact strength. Human capital (β = 0.619, p