Impact Analysis of a Tourism Festival on Tourists Destination Images

TLDR

Few empirical studies examine how tourism festivals affect destination image, and longitudinal research is needed to assess their contribution to positive image improvement. This study aimed to evaluate whether a locally organized festival designed to attract tourists could enhance destination image. The authors compared image differences before and after visits, between festival participants and nonparticipants, between those who recognized the festival and those who did not, and between those who requested information and those who did not. The festival did not foster a positive image among participants, and its perceived quality and promotion were associated with a negative image change.

Abstract

There are few empirical studies on the contribution of tourism festivals toward destination image improvement. The purpose of this study was to examine the contribution of a planned festival, which was organized by local government to attract tourists, to the improvement of destination image. Image differences before and after the visit, between festival participants and nonparticipants, between festival recognition and non-recognition groups, between information request and nonrequest groups were analyzed. The results showed that the tourism festival in this study did not contribute to a positive image formation for festival participants. The study further found that the festival's quality and promotion were related to negative image change. Longitudinal research on the contribution of festivals toward positive image improvement is needed in the future.