Description
The purpose of this paper is to introduce the seven articles on festival and events research in
this special issue of IJCTHR.
International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research
New perspectives on festival and events research
Bing Pan Tzung-Cheng Huan
Article information:
To cite this document:
Bing Pan Tzung-Cheng Huan, (2013),"New perspectives on festival and events research", International J ournal of Culture, Tourism and
Hospitality Research, Vol. 7 Iss 2 pp. 115 - 117
Permanent link to this document:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJ CTHR-04-2013-0018
Downloaded on: 24 January 2016, At: 22:21 (PT)
References: this document contains references to 0 other documents.
To copy this document: [email protected]
The fulltext of this document has been downloaded 1227 times since 2013*
Users who downloaded this article also downloaded:
Stephen W. Litvin, (2013),"Festivals and special events: making the investment", International J ournal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality
Research, Vol. 7 Iss 2 pp. 184-187http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJ CTHR-04-2013-0025
Stephen Litvin, Bing Pan, Wayne Smith, (2013),"Festivals, special events, and the “rising tide”", International J ournal of Culture, Tourism
and Hospitality Research, Vol. 7 Iss 2 pp. 163-168http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJ CTHR-04-2013-0022
J udith Mair, Michelle Whitford, (2013),"An exploration of events research: event topics, themes and emerging trends", International J ournal
of Event and Festival Management, Vol. 4 Iss 1 pp. 6-30http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/17582951311307485
Access to this document was granted through an Emerald subscription provided by emerald-srm:115632 []
For Authors
If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about
how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/
authors for more information.
About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.com
Emerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than
290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional
customer resources and services.
Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and
also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation.
*Related content and download information correct at time of download.
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Guest editorial
New perspectives on festival and events
research
Bing Pan and Tzung-Cheng Huan
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce the seven articles on festival and events research in
this special issue of IJCTHR.
Design/methodology/approach – The article gives summary information and perspectives on the
articles that appear in the issue.
Findings – This paper categorizes seven articles into empirical studies and conceptual pieces and
summarizes their contributions to literature. The seven papers explore festivals and events from the
following perspectives: participants’ values, motivations, and spending; organizers’ risk management;
sociological examination; sustainability practices; and practical advice.
Originality/value – The value of this paper lies in its review of current approaches to researching
festivals and events, and advice provided for future research on the topic.
Keywords Research work, Leisure activities, Entertainment, Festivals and events, Review,
Future research, Hospitality services
Paper type General review
Introduction
Festivals and events play an important role in the tourism and hospitality industry for two
major reasons. First, they create memories and stories, highlight mundane everyday
experience, elevate people’s spirit, and celebrate human existence. December 25 is only a
24 hours’ segment of the ?ow of time in people’s lives and virtually undistinguishable from
December 24 or 26; our own birthdays every year have no physical development markers on
our body and mind. By bestowing the two dates’ special meanings, we create milestones in
our existence and allow ourselves to have a chance to ponder our existence and the
meanings of our lives. Thus, festival and events are special types of social activities which
give our lives deeper meanings and separate us from animals. People seek meaning in their
lives; thus they are willing to travel to faraway places to be part of a festival or event. Second,
festivals and events contribute to the economic income for the local people in a city, region,
or country. Visitors to a festival or event stay in paid accommodations, dine out in
restaurants, participate in group activities, and purchase souvenirs – another way of
creating long lasting memories and meanings. The in?ow of money will create jobs and
stimulate the local economy. Festivals and events offer spiritual, sociological, and
economical contributions to the tourism and hospitality industry.
Studies on festivals and events are mostly case-based and descriptive in nature, and they
usually pose great challenges for researchers. First, festivals and events are diverse in
themes, scales, and participants: they could be historical, seasonal, spiritual, or political; the
numbers of participants could range from a few people to millions; they could be local
DOI 10.1108/IJCTHR-04-2013-0018 VOL. 7 NO. 2 2013, pp. 115-117, Q Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1750-6182
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
PAGE 115
Bing Pan is based in the
Department of Hospitality
and Tourism Management,
College of Charleston,
Charleston, South Carolina,
USA. Tzung-Cheng Huan is
based in the College of
Management, National
Chiayi University, Chiayi
City, Taiwan.
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events in a city such as a local food festival or international events such as the Olympic
Games. Thus, participants’ demographic composition, motivation, and the structure and
goals of the events are all different. Second, festivals and events are highly dynamic with
continuous ?ows of participants. The participants are excited, rowdy, and sometimes
intoxicated. As a result, on-site surveys and interviews are dif?cult to carry out; the ?eeting
and faulty memories will make after-event surveys unreliable. As a result, the results of many
studies are neither comparable nor repeatable.
Nonetheless, recent burgeoning of studies in this area and speci?c journals created for this
?eld (such as International Journal of Event and Festival Management) re?ect the value and
signi?cance of this area of research. This special issue on Festival tourism is speci?cally
aimed toward the advancement of the study in festivals and tourism. Seven articles in this
special issue encompass both empirical studies as well as conceptual and commentary
pieces. The festivals and events discussed in these articles include a local food and wine
festival, a sporting event, a music festival, a National Day celebration, and a meta-analysis of
several events. The topics covered include participants’ motivations, perceptions, and
spending; economic impacts; sustainable practices; practical advices; and sociological
re?ections.
Among all the articles, ?ve are empirical research. Sohn and Yuan’s research studied a local
food and wine festival in Texas. By surveying the festival attendees with values and lifestyles
questions, they analyzed the types of people and discovered a ?ve-factor solution based on
value and lifestyles: idealist, achiever, explorer, belonger, and innovator. The second article
by Taks, Green, Chalip, Kesenne, and Martyn examined spending patterns of different
groups of non-local participants of an international sport event through self-reporting. Their
studies showed that participants account for less than one-third of the spending and
coaches are the biggest spenders. Hospitality and transportation are the biggest
bene?ciaries of the event. Their results are very informative to those local tourism
professionals who are calculating the economic impact of their events. Daniels, Park,
Harmon, and Brayley examined the risk management aspect of the National Mall and
Memorial Park. The article includes two studies: one is an analysis of open-ended comments
to park managers, and the second one is an observation and analysis of the 2007 National
Independence Day Celebration. The results indicate that personal safety is viewed as most
vital by visitors, though visitors are not wary of terrorist attacks. The visitors also expressed
strong displeasure with barricades and other security measures. The second study revealed
security concerns during a large-scale event. Combined, the results suggest a
disconnection between risk perception and risk management.
The ?nal paper, an empirical piece by Litvin, Pan, and Smith, uses a case study to
speci?cally reveal an often-ignored economic bene?t of a festival. Usually the calculation of
economic impact of a festival focuses on the spending of its directly related participants,
attendees, and personnel. This study showed that the increased accommodation prices due
to increased demand could contribute signi?cantly to the local economy and should be
?gured in the impact calculation.
The three conceptual pieces include a conceptual model of sustainable practices for events,
a sociological investigation of events in modern times, and practical advices on establishing
and promoting festivals and events in order to achieve better economic impact. Bernick and
Boo critically examined the festival tourism industry in the context of entertainment age and
demonstrated the socio-philosophical impact of entertainment age on the tourism industry.
Speci?cally they explained the rise of festivals in the modern time from a sociological
perspective. Yuan’s article took a meta-synthesis approach, reviewed past studies on
sustainability in events and festivals, and proposed three interconnected components: the
event organizer, the place, and the event-goers. She further offered three managerial
principles in managing a successful sustainable event or festival. The last conceptual piece
by Dr Litvin used Charleston, South Carolina in the USA as an example to motivate industrial
leaders to upgrade local events into tourist attractors. He speci?cally addressed the funding
opportunities and challenges using real examples.
PAGE 116
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
VOL. 7 NO. 2 2013
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In conclusion, seven articles in this special issue addressed various aspects of events and
festivals from marketing, economic, and sociological perspectives. Combined, they
demonstrate the multi-dimensionality of this tourism phenomenon and offer more in-depth
understanding of attendees, management, and economic impacts. However, studies on
festivals and events are practical in nature and need to solve real-world problems.
Researchers need to pay more attention to certain practical aspects of festivals and events,
such as creative design of events, online marketing, and local residents’ perceptions of
events and festivals. More qualitative studies are needed to address the experience of
festival attendees and participants.
The editors thank our anonymous reviewers for their hard work on reviewing the articles in
time. Kevin Smith, Research Assistant in the Of?ce of Tourism Analysis in the College of
Charleston, offered meticulous copyediting work on this special issue.
About the authors
Bing Pan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Hospitality and Tourism
Management, College of Charleston, USA. His research focuses on consumer behavior,
information technology, and online marketing in tourismand hospitality ?elds. Bing Pan is the
corresponding author and can be contacted at: [email protected]
Tzung-Cheng Huan is a Professor and Dean at the College of Management, National Chiayi
University, Chiayi City, Taiwan.
VOL. 7 NO. 2 2013
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
PAGE 117
To purchase reprints of this article please e-mail: [email protected]
Or visit our web site for further details: www.emeraldinsight.com/reprints
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This article has been cited by:
1. Martin Robertson, Ian Yeoman. 2014. Signals and Signposts of the Future: Literary Festival Consumption in 2050. Tourism
Recreation Research 39, 321-342. [CrossRef]
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doc_915263462.pdf
The purpose of this paper is to introduce the seven articles on festival and events research in
this special issue of IJCTHR.
International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research
New perspectives on festival and events research
Bing Pan Tzung-Cheng Huan
Article information:
To cite this document:
Bing Pan Tzung-Cheng Huan, (2013),"New perspectives on festival and events research", International J ournal of Culture, Tourism and
Hospitality Research, Vol. 7 Iss 2 pp. 115 - 117
Permanent link to this document:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJ CTHR-04-2013-0018
Downloaded on: 24 January 2016, At: 22:21 (PT)
References: this document contains references to 0 other documents.
To copy this document: [email protected]
The fulltext of this document has been downloaded 1227 times since 2013*
Users who downloaded this article also downloaded:
Stephen W. Litvin, (2013),"Festivals and special events: making the investment", International J ournal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality
Research, Vol. 7 Iss 2 pp. 184-187http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJ CTHR-04-2013-0025
Stephen Litvin, Bing Pan, Wayne Smith, (2013),"Festivals, special events, and the “rising tide”", International J ournal of Culture, Tourism
and Hospitality Research, Vol. 7 Iss 2 pp. 163-168http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJ CTHR-04-2013-0022
J udith Mair, Michelle Whitford, (2013),"An exploration of events research: event topics, themes and emerging trends", International J ournal
of Event and Festival Management, Vol. 4 Iss 1 pp. 6-30http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/17582951311307485
Access to this document was granted through an Emerald subscription provided by emerald-srm:115632 []
For Authors
If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about
how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/
authors for more information.
About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.com
Emerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than
290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional
customer resources and services.
Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and
also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation.
*Related content and download information correct at time of download.
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Guest editorial
New perspectives on festival and events
research
Bing Pan and Tzung-Cheng Huan
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce the seven articles on festival and events research in
this special issue of IJCTHR.
Design/methodology/approach – The article gives summary information and perspectives on the
articles that appear in the issue.
Findings – This paper categorizes seven articles into empirical studies and conceptual pieces and
summarizes their contributions to literature. The seven papers explore festivals and events from the
following perspectives: participants’ values, motivations, and spending; organizers’ risk management;
sociological examination; sustainability practices; and practical advice.
Originality/value – The value of this paper lies in its review of current approaches to researching
festivals and events, and advice provided for future research on the topic.
Keywords Research work, Leisure activities, Entertainment, Festivals and events, Review,
Future research, Hospitality services
Paper type General review
Introduction
Festivals and events play an important role in the tourism and hospitality industry for two
major reasons. First, they create memories and stories, highlight mundane everyday
experience, elevate people’s spirit, and celebrate human existence. December 25 is only a
24 hours’ segment of the ?ow of time in people’s lives and virtually undistinguishable from
December 24 or 26; our own birthdays every year have no physical development markers on
our body and mind. By bestowing the two dates’ special meanings, we create milestones in
our existence and allow ourselves to have a chance to ponder our existence and the
meanings of our lives. Thus, festival and events are special types of social activities which
give our lives deeper meanings and separate us from animals. People seek meaning in their
lives; thus they are willing to travel to faraway places to be part of a festival or event. Second,
festivals and events contribute to the economic income for the local people in a city, region,
or country. Visitors to a festival or event stay in paid accommodations, dine out in
restaurants, participate in group activities, and purchase souvenirs – another way of
creating long lasting memories and meanings. The in?ow of money will create jobs and
stimulate the local economy. Festivals and events offer spiritual, sociological, and
economical contributions to the tourism and hospitality industry.
Studies on festivals and events are mostly case-based and descriptive in nature, and they
usually pose great challenges for researchers. First, festivals and events are diverse in
themes, scales, and participants: they could be historical, seasonal, spiritual, or political; the
numbers of participants could range from a few people to millions; they could be local
DOI 10.1108/IJCTHR-04-2013-0018 VOL. 7 NO. 2 2013, pp. 115-117, Q Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1750-6182
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
PAGE 115
Bing Pan is based in the
Department of Hospitality
and Tourism Management,
College of Charleston,
Charleston, South Carolina,
USA. Tzung-Cheng Huan is
based in the College of
Management, National
Chiayi University, Chiayi
City, Taiwan.
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events in a city such as a local food festival or international events such as the Olympic
Games. Thus, participants’ demographic composition, motivation, and the structure and
goals of the events are all different. Second, festivals and events are highly dynamic with
continuous ?ows of participants. The participants are excited, rowdy, and sometimes
intoxicated. As a result, on-site surveys and interviews are dif?cult to carry out; the ?eeting
and faulty memories will make after-event surveys unreliable. As a result, the results of many
studies are neither comparable nor repeatable.
Nonetheless, recent burgeoning of studies in this area and speci?c journals created for this
?eld (such as International Journal of Event and Festival Management) re?ect the value and
signi?cance of this area of research. This special issue on Festival tourism is speci?cally
aimed toward the advancement of the study in festivals and tourism. Seven articles in this
special issue encompass both empirical studies as well as conceptual and commentary
pieces. The festivals and events discussed in these articles include a local food and wine
festival, a sporting event, a music festival, a National Day celebration, and a meta-analysis of
several events. The topics covered include participants’ motivations, perceptions, and
spending; economic impacts; sustainable practices; practical advices; and sociological
re?ections.
Among all the articles, ?ve are empirical research. Sohn and Yuan’s research studied a local
food and wine festival in Texas. By surveying the festival attendees with values and lifestyles
questions, they analyzed the types of people and discovered a ?ve-factor solution based on
value and lifestyles: idealist, achiever, explorer, belonger, and innovator. The second article
by Taks, Green, Chalip, Kesenne, and Martyn examined spending patterns of different
groups of non-local participants of an international sport event through self-reporting. Their
studies showed that participants account for less than one-third of the spending and
coaches are the biggest spenders. Hospitality and transportation are the biggest
bene?ciaries of the event. Their results are very informative to those local tourism
professionals who are calculating the economic impact of their events. Daniels, Park,
Harmon, and Brayley examined the risk management aspect of the National Mall and
Memorial Park. The article includes two studies: one is an analysis of open-ended comments
to park managers, and the second one is an observation and analysis of the 2007 National
Independence Day Celebration. The results indicate that personal safety is viewed as most
vital by visitors, though visitors are not wary of terrorist attacks. The visitors also expressed
strong displeasure with barricades and other security measures. The second study revealed
security concerns during a large-scale event. Combined, the results suggest a
disconnection between risk perception and risk management.
The ?nal paper, an empirical piece by Litvin, Pan, and Smith, uses a case study to
speci?cally reveal an often-ignored economic bene?t of a festival. Usually the calculation of
economic impact of a festival focuses on the spending of its directly related participants,
attendees, and personnel. This study showed that the increased accommodation prices due
to increased demand could contribute signi?cantly to the local economy and should be
?gured in the impact calculation.
The three conceptual pieces include a conceptual model of sustainable practices for events,
a sociological investigation of events in modern times, and practical advices on establishing
and promoting festivals and events in order to achieve better economic impact. Bernick and
Boo critically examined the festival tourism industry in the context of entertainment age and
demonstrated the socio-philosophical impact of entertainment age on the tourism industry.
Speci?cally they explained the rise of festivals in the modern time from a sociological
perspective. Yuan’s article took a meta-synthesis approach, reviewed past studies on
sustainability in events and festivals, and proposed three interconnected components: the
event organizer, the place, and the event-goers. She further offered three managerial
principles in managing a successful sustainable event or festival. The last conceptual piece
by Dr Litvin used Charleston, South Carolina in the USA as an example to motivate industrial
leaders to upgrade local events into tourist attractors. He speci?cally addressed the funding
opportunities and challenges using real examples.
PAGE 116
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
VOL. 7 NO. 2 2013
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In conclusion, seven articles in this special issue addressed various aspects of events and
festivals from marketing, economic, and sociological perspectives. Combined, they
demonstrate the multi-dimensionality of this tourism phenomenon and offer more in-depth
understanding of attendees, management, and economic impacts. However, studies on
festivals and events are practical in nature and need to solve real-world problems.
Researchers need to pay more attention to certain practical aspects of festivals and events,
such as creative design of events, online marketing, and local residents’ perceptions of
events and festivals. More qualitative studies are needed to address the experience of
festival attendees and participants.
The editors thank our anonymous reviewers for their hard work on reviewing the articles in
time. Kevin Smith, Research Assistant in the Of?ce of Tourism Analysis in the College of
Charleston, offered meticulous copyediting work on this special issue.
About the authors
Bing Pan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Hospitality and Tourism
Management, College of Charleston, USA. His research focuses on consumer behavior,
information technology, and online marketing in tourismand hospitality ?elds. Bing Pan is the
corresponding author and can be contacted at: [email protected]
Tzung-Cheng Huan is a Professor and Dean at the College of Management, National Chiayi
University, Chiayi City, Taiwan.
VOL. 7 NO. 2 2013
j
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY RESEARCH
j
PAGE 117
To purchase reprints of this article please e-mail: [email protected]
Or visit our web site for further details: www.emeraldinsight.com/reprints
D
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This article has been cited by:
1. Martin Robertson, Ian Yeoman. 2014. Signals and Signposts of the Future: Literary Festival Consumption in 2050. Tourism
Recreation Research 39, 321-342. [CrossRef]
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doc_915263462.pdf