Francesc González‐Reverté and Oriol Miralbell‐Izard
The purpose of this paper is to assess the touristic potential of music festivals in Catalonia. It is an opportune goal because even though this region is experiencing an…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to assess the touristic potential of music festivals in Catalonia. It is an opportune goal because even though this region is experiencing an important increase of new festivals and cultural events, there is a lack of adequate coordinating and guiding tourism policies.
Design/methodology/approach
The data was gathered with a survey to managers of music festivals that provided information about their management structure and economic results. The study findings are the result of an analysis done with a statistical multivariate technique and constructing indicators of event economic feasibility and tourism specialisation.
Findings
Data reveals the coexistence of two different types of festivals in Catalonia depending on their cultural or touristic orientation and with clear differences in their management style. Both types have a professionalized management structure and an economic self‐sufficiency when compared with the rest of Catalan cultural events, so they can be considered as an asset for regional tourism development. Nevertheless, some problems are detected in management practices that should be improved when implementing a specific tourism event policy.
Originality/value
The research has built a unique event data base that can be useful for decision making in tourism public administration. The paper suggests that local and regional administration should consider music festivals and cultural events, in general, as excellent resources to create new tourism products. Some of the characteristics of festivals, such as their important potential as tourism attractions and their cultural identity or the economical success, are critical assets to their high potential in local tourism development. These findings should justify a more resolute public policy of events and music festivals in Catalonia.
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Francesc González Reverté and Oriol Miralbell Izard
This article aims to detail the scope of social capital (SC) in cultural events held in Catalonia and to analyze their tourism appeal. This study considers three elements of SC…
Abstract
Purpose
This article aims to detail the scope of social capital (SC) in cultural events held in Catalonia and to analyze their tourism appeal. This study considers three elements of SC which play a role in event planning (motivation, internal network creation, and leadership) and analyzes their impact on the local tourism industry.
Design/methodology/approach
The current work assesses the presence and importance of SC factors at 263 surveyed events. This information was crossed with tourism appeal and impact data obtained from the same survey, and the statistical significance of the differences between various SC factors was evaluated via a χ2 test.
Findings
This study's primary conclusion is that events with SC elements which strengthen their social cohesion, view and justify the event as a socializing fact, regardless of the scope of tourism at these functions. Additionally, research showed that the creation of relationship networks strengthened the community's internal cohesion, representativeness, and sense of identity. Finally, leadership elements which increase visibility and connect the event to external networks explain the current differences between events' tourism appeal and impact.
Originality/value
The study's major contribution lies in highlighting the role of SC as a factor which affects the social and tourism repercussions of Catalan events. Recommendations suggest the strategic importance of incorporating SC in managing and creating new products and tourism policies focused on cultural events.