Saint Agatha Religious Festival in Catania: Stakeholders’ Functions and Relations

Authors

  • Salvatore Cannizzaro University of Catania
  • Gian Luigi Corinto University of Macerata http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6851-6623
  • Enrico Nicosia University of Macerata http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2289-6453

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2036-5195/6759

Keywords:

Religious Festivals, Sicily, Catania, Stakeholders’ Functions and Relations

Abstract

The purpose of the paper is to develop an explorative analysis of the functions and relations among actors involved in the organization and implementation of the Saint Agatha Religious Festival in Catania attracting nearly one million presences during the first week of February. The research is based on the survey of different sources of information, such as literature, news, media, and deep interviews with key informants pertaining to civil and religious institutions. The survey is designed to profile the Festival in terms of history, the character of the stakeholders, size, origin of assets, venues used, decision-making structure, and programs. The Festival’s use of volunteers and sponsors is specifically addressed. Empirical research sketches the network of stakeholders, the relationship between organizations, the importance of local social actors and strategies in enhancing local culture and sustainable tourism, regarding, in particular, the socio-cultural impacts of religious tourism. The local society has historical peculiarities which impose prudential considerations in generalizing about findings, and a comparative study with other Sicilian and/or Italian religious festivals will be important, mainly in order to delineate the actual sustainability of Festivals. The framework developed in this study can be helpful in the application of local social policies and also help comparative festival studies.

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Published

2017-03-21

How to Cite

Cannizzaro, S., Corinto, G. L., & Nicosia, E. (2017). Saint Agatha Religious Festival in Catania: Stakeholders’ Functions and Relations. Almatourism - Journal of Tourism, Culture and Territorial Development, 8(7), 124–138. https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2036-5195/6759