Cultural festivals can attract cultural tourists, extend the tourist season and add vibrancy to the cultural scene. However, there is relatively little research on how festivals affect tourist experience of the destination or outcomes such as satisfaction or repeat visitation. This study used the Event Experience Scale to measure tourist experiences at three cultural festivals in Hong Kong – the Lantern Festival, Dragon Boat Festival and the Cheung Chau Bun Festival. The findings show that tourist experiences of these festivals are distinct, and they positively affect destination image and behavioural outcomes. Relative to permanent attractions and tours, festival experiences elicit stronger affective, conative and novelty responses. Festivals also convey a stronger impression of Hong Kong as a destination exhibiting Chinese and traditional culture, but less as a global city. The festival experience is associated with positive outcomes, namely greater satisfaction, intention to recommend and intention to return.
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This paper provides an introduction to the special issue of the Journal of Policy Research in Tourism, Leisure and Events on Festival Cities and Tourism. It provides a contextualisation of the conversations surrounding the relationship between cities and their festivals during the Covid-19 pandemic. Focussing on the ‘festival city’ of Edinburgh, we examine how festival organisers reacted to the challenges of the pandemic, and how they strove to maintain contact with audiences and other stakeholders. We then review the different contributions to the special issue, ranging from festivalisation and suburban food festivals in Barcelona to an art festival in Dublin, the European Capital of Culture in Hungary and the festival portfolio of Hong Kong.
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De directe aanleiding voor het onderzoek naar festivalbeleving in 2009 was een vraag van de organisatie van het festival Highlands in Amersfoort aan het Crossmedialab. Men wilde weten hoe bezoekers het festival ervoeren en waardeerden. Dit sloot ook aan bij de onderzoekslijn naar de invloed van sociale media in verschillende contexten waarvan de festivalcontext er een van was. In de jaren daarna zijn door het Crossmedialab vergelijkbare empirische onderzoeken uitgevoerd bij Appelpop, Festival de Beschaving en Gluren bij de Buren. Dit rapport poogt een gedetailleerd verslag te geven van het onderzoek naar festivals dat in de jaren 2009-2012 werd uitgevoerd. Het bevat ook een gedetailleerde verslaglegging van de analyse van de resultaten. Hoewel het als een onafhankelijk rapport kan worden gelezen, kan het tevens worden gezien als een uitgebreide appendix van het CELL cahier Festivalbeleving (Van Vliet et al 2012).
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This paper attempts to extend the analysis of event effects by analysing the knowledge creation role of an Italian literary festival, the Festivaletteratura in Mantua. The festival uses its local network, consisting of cultural organisations, local firms, festival volunteers and civic organisations to develop and disseminate knowledge. This is linked to an (inter)national network of creative actors, including creative entrepreneurs and festival (ex) volunteers who help to focus attention on the event. The combination of the locally embedded network and an extensive international network are key to the development of the festival as a knowledge hub. In the analysis of such knowledge-based festivals, it is important to shift our focus from events as a happening at a specific moment in time, to their more permanent role as a creative hub embedded in a regional context.
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In the past two years [2010-2012] we have done research on the visitor experience of music festivals. We conducted several surveys asking festival visitors for demographic variables, taste in music, their motivation for visiting festivals, mentalities and the evaluation of the festival. We also asked for the use of social media before, after and during the festival. Results show that visitors using social media have a significantly different festival experience from users that do not use social media before, during or after the festival. Results on difference in festival satisfaction are mixed.
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Festivals are nowadays a cultural, social, and economic force to be reckoned with. This study will offer an overview of the Dutch festival landscape, which has been lacking. There are commercial initiatives that target only a portion of the festival sector, and there are specific branch organisations or cultural funds that only cover the data of their members, for instance the Netherlands Film Fund reports on ten major Dutch film festivals in their annual Film Facts & Figures of the Netherlands. National institutes such as Statistics Netherlands (CBS) and The Netherlands Institute for Social Research (SCP) also lack substantial data on Dutch festivals.
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Leisure constraints affecting participation can be divided into intrapersonal, interpersonal, and structural constraints. Only a few studies in the event industry have investigated the role of leisure constraints. These studies show different effects of leisure constraints on participation. The purpose of this article is to examine the influence of leisure constraints on revisit intention regarding music festivals. This study is of quantitative nature and utilizes survey research. A sample of 1,063 respondents was used within the analyses, measuring the influence of perceived constraints on revisit intention. The results show that intrapersonal constraints (a lack of importance and interest) and structural constraints (travel time, a lack of time, costs, and a lack of satisfaction with the festival area) significantly influence revisit intention. In line with results from other leisure industries, intrapersonal constraints show the strongest effects. Interpersonal constraints do not affect revisit intentions. Music festivals should ideally maintain a high level of engagement with the visitors throughout the year to ensure continuous involvement.
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The COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic represented a significant break with previous patterns of cultural consumption, effectively halting the growth of “mass cultural tourism” driven by cheap flights and collaborative economy accommodation. Surveys conducted by the ATLAS Cultural Tourism Group in Portugal were used to develop a detailed picture of cultural tourism consumption during the pandemic. In 2020 and early 2021 surveys were conducted at different locations in the country, generating over 500 responses. The research shows that COVID-19 had significant impacts on the profile and activities of cultural tourists in Portugal, with much more domestic tourism at most sites, and fewer visitors staying away from home. Levels of satisfaction and intention to return remained high, as did perceived authenticity. There was a significant drop in touring holidays, with visitors more likely to stay in a single location. Those tourists visiting cultural attractions during the pandemic had a positive experience, despite the challenging conditions. Levels of satisfaction increased compared with previous surveys in Portugal in 2004, but there were also fluctuations in levels of satisfaction during the pandemic period, correlated with levels of COVID-19 infections. Some indications of emerging alternative forms of cultural tourism include an increased proclivity for rural locations and inland areas, away from destinations usually associated with mass (cultural) tourism. The article concludes by considering a number of implications for the development of cultural tourism in Portugal and other destinations in the postpandemic era.
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