The Impacts of a Cultural Fest - Coursework Example

The impacts of a cultural fest Introduction A good tourism package, in the past, only used to consider visitor attractions, entertainment, transportation, hospitality and good accommodation. Tourists’ focus then started to shift with the advancements in the event industry. As event planners came into the picture they realized that the tourism industry needed social events which lead to the event tourism industry (Lim & Lee, 2006). People usually travel to destinations for leisure and relaxation purposes but there are also people who travel to destinations for the purpose of business meetings, conferences, workshops and other similar social events. This movement of people has given rise to the event tourism industry (WTO, 1995). Events and tourism now go hand in hand, and so one without another seems incomplete. The perfect way to describe tourism would be to say that it takes a systematic planning process along with development and marketing of special events and festivals as tourist attractions (Kreag, 2001). These events are usually organized after looking at the behavior of tourists and the things which attract them towards a destination. Moreover, tourism management aims at event tourism at complete utilization of the capabilities of events so as to attain overall tourism development. Event tourism also includes the research on people’s travelling motives which can be characterized as cultural, prestigious, physical, social and interpersonal motives and are pleased by diverse and unusual events. For the matter of this research the type of event selected is a cultural fest. The Impacts of a Cultural Fest A country which has a good image in terms of social events just like cultural fests is more likely the spot for tourist attraction. The impacts of cultural fests are usually seen on the host community, as through holding social events like these, a host community or the destination is able to make its own standing and create its brand image (Emma H. Wood, 2005). Also, since the country becomes famous for its culture, its resorts also become famous and many companies start holding their annual meetings and other conferences in that country, magnetizing more and more people towards it (Allen, 2009). A host country can have many benefits because of a cultural fest, as the more successful event it hosts, the more people it attracts (Solberg & Preuss, 2007). Dubai has become one of the best host countries, as it holds many cultural festivals and shopping festivals which attract many tourists to it, without the itinerary of such events, tourism is held incomplete (Henderson, 2006). The impacts that a cultural fest has on the host country are: Cultural and Social impacts Grand cultural festivals from time to time can create some consequences which can negatively affect the agenda and conclude the way the public perceives the event if not handled and managed properly. A host country initiates a series of cultural fests in order to attract more tourists into their country; however, this may affect the socio cultural environment of the host country itself. Event tourism can become a source of disagreement between the host countries and the tourists coming from various countries because of the cultural gap in between them (Cohen, 1972). The cultural fests organized by the host country can also become a cultural shock for the tourists and on the other hand the behavior of tourists can sometimes affect the norms of the host country’s society which may cause problems for the host country itself. With so many visitors entering the host country, it may also give rise to criminal offences, substance abuse and bad behavior by crowds (Roche, 1992). On the other hand, if properly exhibited, the cultural festivals can impact the host country as a means of strengthening the regional norms, traditions and. The once hidden culture of India, let’s say was regarded as very old fashioned but since they created their good brand image through many cultural festivals, the same culture is now regarded as diverse, colorful and very audacious to explore (Chaudhary, 2000). Going further into the discussion, every host country has some direct socio cultural impacts on the participants and also, in some scenarios on the host country as well. These impacts and effects can be mere simple experiences in the form of collective entertainment and also cultural fests have the capability to deepen the already formed community pride, initiate new and diverse ideas which further help in the revitalization of the traditions of the host country. Political impacts Government policies have a major role to play in the organization of any event and in building an image of the host country. Many policies have to be taken into consideration before the actual planning and the hosting of cultural fests as different policies have to be materialized for different types of cultural festivals (Matthews & Richter, 1991). Certain rules and regulations also have to be documented for them as there is always a possibility of environmental pollution, disturbances of public, damage to government property and the crowd can also be difficult to handle (Hawkins & Holtz, 2001). Going on a totally different path, politicians have realized the power of media coverage on hosting a grand cultural festival; therefore, they have also started taking interest in cultural fests to gain a good public image and to increase the profile of their governed cities and states as such events pave way for economic development by providing employment opportunities. Moreover, cultural fests can be hosted for a number of political reasons and so their marketing and management is usually influenced by a political shadow. (Richter, 1983); (Greenwood & Smith, 1989). Environmental impacts A proper environmental assessment is needed to be carried out before actually hosting a cultural fest, the venue of the cultural fest, being the most important, should be carefully picked and should be sufficient enough to house the guests coming in to attend it. A mismanaged venue which is not able to cater to the nature of the cultural fest can be problematic for the host country as well as for the tourists and will have negative impacts on the environment of the host country. The possible impacts a cultural fest can have on the environment of the host country can include improper waste disposal, a rampage, a security breach and also improper crowd movement which will create a bad reputation of the host country as well (Beckenbach, 1989). The environmental analysis and its impact of a cultural fest on a host country start right from the stage of planning and goes down to the assessment stage of the event. In order to be able to provide proper services to the visitors, the availability of the necessary infrastructure is very important. In the absence of these basic necessities a host country is highly unlikely to make an impression and to attract more tourists into their county (Hiller, 1998). A bad impression can always leave bad branding image in the minds of the people and in this case any environment damage done by the tourists even in the course of the event can make news highlights and negatively impact the image of the host country. Therefore, a cultural fest can have disastrous environmental impacts on the host county and only proper execution and planning can help the host country in making and maintaining a good image. Other basic environmental impacts of cultural fests on the host country could be an increase in the traffic which can create hassle for its citizens and can also damage its environment. Pollution can also increase with more cars on the roads (Archer et al, 2012). Tourism and economic impacts The main impact that a host country wants from cultural fests is that they should be able to improve its economic conditions. The more a host country is able to attract tourism the more jobs are created, more income is generated and in return the economic conditions of the host country are improved (Zhou et al, 1997). The economic benefits which are associated with cultural fests generally depend on the nature and the magnitude of the events being hosted by the host country. More business opportunities can be created, as hosting such festivals are the avenues for the host countries to glass case their expertise along with attracting potential real estate investors which again help in making the host country prosper economically (Frechtling, 1994). As discussed earlier, the economic benefits are linked with the increase in the number of tourists. Cultural festivals help a host country in this along with making the tourists stay for long because of the cultural fests they want to attend. However, along with some economic benefits this may also have some costs associated with it which could be the resistance of the community towards the tourists and the tourist attraction festivals displayed and hosted by the host country (Wagner, 1997); (Ivanov & Webster, 2007). For the cultural fests to be successful, community support is important as a friendly community will be able to create a good image rather than the one which shows resistance The impacts of social events summarized (adapted from Bodwin, 2006, 61.) Positive Impacts Negative Impacts Social and Cultural Shared experience Community alienation Revitalization of traditions Manipulation of community Building of community pride Negative community image Validation of community groups Bad behavior Increased community participation Substance abuse Introduction of new and challenging ideas Social dislocation Expansion of cultural perspective Loss of amenity Political International Prestige Risk of event failure Improved profile Misallocation of funds Promotion of investment Lack of accountability Social cohesion Propaganda Development of administrative skills Loss of community ownership and control Legitimating of ideology Environmental Showcasing the environment Environmental damage Provision of models for best practice Pollution Increased environmental awareness Destruction of heritage Infrastructural legacy Noise disturbance Improved transport and communications Traffic congestion Urban transformation and renewal Tourism and economic Destination promotion and increased tourists visits Community resistance Extended length of stay Exploitation Job creation Damage to reputation CRITERIA AND TECHNIQUES FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF THE IMPACTS OF A CULTURAL FEST It is immensely important for a host country to assess the impact of a cultural fest in order to understand the satisfaction level of the tourists along with the cost and benefits associated with it (Mules & Faulkner, 1996). Cost benefit analysis The best way to assess a cultural fest is to do a cost benefit analysis which is to analyze the benefits which were provided by the event to the host country along with the tangible and/or intangible costs associated with it. It can then be analyzed that how beneficial the event was for the host country and what measures can be taken next to improve it (Tyrrell & Johnston, 2001). Pre-event and post-event surveys Moreover, in terms of a grand cultural festival, a survey can also be conducted along with the cost benefit analysis, both before and after the event. The main aim of the survey prior to the event is to see the attitudes of the community towards the festival before its occurrence (Hodur & Leistritz, 2007). All stake holders to the cultural fest should be surveyed before and after the event in order to judge how effective and successful the event went. In the case of a mishap, this survey will also be able to assess the problems which were faced during the event so that they are eliminated the next time for a successful event execution. This survey will be able to bring a lot of very important details about the festival in front of the host country which might have been ignored. STRATEGIES TO MAXIMISE THE POSITIVE IMPACTS AND TO MINIMIZE THE NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF A SOCIAL EVENT Proper planning Planning is the essence of organizing a cultural fest (Gnoth, 1997). A host country should make sure that a plan should be made and assessed prior to the event in order to avoid any risks involved with its successful execution. The planning phase should include the number of expected guests, the proper infrastructure and venue for the event, a good entertainment package, security, parking and setting up boundaries for the people to remain consolidated in one particular area. Possible risk factors No matter how smoothly planning is carried out, there are always certain risks involved when planning a grand cultural fest. Thus, the possible risks should also be documented and strategies to avoid them in a state of their occurrence should also be formulated prior to the occurrence of the event (Janeczko et al, 2002). Marketing Marketing is very important when hosting a cultural fest for tourists, a strong marketing budget and campaign will help in bringing people from all over the world to attend the event. Tourists are the basic aim of organizing such festivals, and so without their presence the festival might not be able to attain the perceived economic benefits totally (Woods, 2005). REFERENCES Top of Form Allen, J. (2009). Event planning: the ultimate guide to successful meetings, corporate events, fundraising galas, conferences, conventions, incentives and other special events. Wiley. Archer, B., Cooper, C., & Ruhanen, L. (2012). 5 The positive and negative impacts of tourism. Global tourism, 79. Beckenbach, F. (1989). Social costs in modern capitalism∗. Capitalism Nature Socialism, 1(3), 72-91. Bowdin, G. A. J. (2006). Events management. Amsterdam [u.a.: Elsevier. Chaudhary, M. (2000). Indias image as a tourist destination—a perspective of foreign tourists. Tourism Management, 21(3), 293-297. Cohen, E. (1972). Toward a sociology of international tourism. Social research, 164-182. Frechtling, D. C. (1994). Assessing the economic impacts of travel and tourism–Introduction to travel economic impact estimation. Travel, Tourism and Hospitality Research, Second Edition, John Wiley and Sons, New York, 359-366. Gnoth, J. (1997). Tourism motivation and expectation formation. Annals of Tourism research, 24(2), 283-304. Greenwood, D. J., & Smith, V. L. (1989). Culture by the pound: an anthropological perspective on tourism as cultural commoditization. Hosts and guests. The anthropology of tourism., (Ed. 2), 171-185. Hawkins, D. E., & Holtz, C. (2001). 12 Environmental policies and management systems related to the global tourism industry. Tourism in the Age of Globalisation, 10, 261. Henderson, J. C. (2006). Tourism in Dubai: overcoming barriers to destination development. International Journal of Tourism Research, 8(2), 87-99. Hiller, H. H. (1998). Assessing the impact of mega-events: a linkage model.Current Issues in Tourism, 1(1), 47-57. Hodur, N. M., & Leistritz, F. L. (2007, October). Estimating the economic impact of event tourism. In Journal of convention & event tourism (Vol. 8, No. 4, pp. 63-79). Taylor & Francis Group. Ivanov, S., & Webster, C. (2007). Measuring the impact of tourism on economic growth. Tourism Economics, 13(3), 379-388. Janeczko, B., Mules, T., & Ritchie, B. (2002). Estimating the Economic Impacts of Festivals and Events: a research guide. CRC for Sustainable Tourism. Kreag, G. (2001). The impacts of tourism. Lim, S. T., & Lee, J. S. (2006). Host population perceptions of the impact of mega-events. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 11(4), 407-421 Matthews, H. G., & Richter, L. K. (1991). Political science and tourism. Annals of Tourism Research, 18(1), 120-135. Mules, T., & Faulkner, B. (1996). An economic perspective on special events.Tourism Economics, 2(2), 107-117. Richter, L. K. (1983). Tourism politics and political science: A case of not so benign neglect. Annals of Tourism Research, 10(3), 313-335. Roche, M. (1992). Mega-events and micro-modernization: on the sociology of the new urban tourism. British Journal of Sociology, 563-600. Solberg, H. A., & Preuss, H. (2007). Major sport events and long-term tourism impacts. Journal of Sport Management, 21(2), 213-234. Tyrrell, T. J., & Johnston, R. J. (2001). A framework for assessing direct economic impacts of tourist events: Distinguishing origins, destinations, and causes of expenditures. Journal of travel Research, 40(1), 94-100. Wood, E. H. (2005). Measuring the economic and social impacts of local authority events. International Journal of Public Sector Management, 18(1), 37-53. World Tourism Organization (WTO). (1995). What Tourism Managers Need to Know: A Practical Guide to the Development and Use of Indicators of Sustainable Tourism. Ottawa: Consulting and Audit Canada. Zhou, D., Yanagida, J. F., Chakravorty, U., & Leung, P. (1997). Estimating economic impacts from tourism. Annals of Tourism Research, 24(1), 76-89. Bottom of Form Read More