Enhancing Brand Image through Events and Cultural Festivals: the Perspective of the Stresa Festival’s Visitors

Elisa Piva; Stefania Cerutti; Lluís Prats; Razaq Raj

doi:10.6092/issn.2036-5195/6888

Authors

Elisa Piva Università del Piemonte Orientale

She is currently PhD Student at the Faculty of Tourism, University of Girona, Spain and Research Fellow at the Department of Business and Economic Studies at the University of Eastern Piedmont, Novara, Italy. Her research focuses mainly on the issues of Tourism and Territorial Development, Destination Management and Destination Branding. She is also actively committed to the development of local projects on behalf of the University of Eastern Piedmont and to the organization of international conferences on tourism and management.
Stefania Cerutti Università del Piemonte Orientale

After obtaining a PhD in Development Policies and Territorial Management at the University of Trieste, Italy, Stefania Cerutti is lecturer at the Department of Business and Economic Studies, University of Eastern Piedmont, Novara, Italy. Her research and teaching activity combines with a significant participation as a speaker and chairman at conferences and seminars, as well as a good scientific production both nationally and internationally.
Lluís Prats University of Girona

Associate professor at the Faculty of Tourism of the University of Girona and settled in Business Organization Management and Product Design Department. Co-director of Organisational Networks, Innovation and Tourism (ONIT) research group. PhD in tourism economics and in Business Marketing & Management. Fields of interest Innovation management, Planning and managing tourism destination, and product development.
Razaq Raj Leeds Beckett University

He is an internationally renowned academic with over seventeen years higher education experience of teaching and research. He is Principal Lecturer for Research and Enterprise and is a Visiting Professor at the Kedge Business School, France and University of Vitez, Bosnia. He has substantial external examining and curriculum development experience of both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in business management, events and tourism. He is founding co-editor of the Journal Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage and Series Editor, CABI Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Book Series (with Dr Kevin Griffin).

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2036-5195/6888

Keywords:

Destination branding, Brand image, Visitor perception, Events, Cultural festivals

Abstract

Cultural events have become a significant component within the strategies of destination branding of a place. Territories are increasingly using events and cultural festivals to enhance their image and boost tourism development. Many destinations worldwide have built events portfolios as a strategic initiative to attract visitors and to develop their own brand. A destination brand represents a dynamic interaction between the destination’s core assets and the way in which potential visitors perceive them. Thus, the visitor perspective is considered as fundamental in triggering processes of destination branding. This paper investigates how the visitors assess the impact of cultural events and festivals in enhancing the image of a tourist destination. The Stresa Festival (Stresa, Lake Maggiore, Italy) has been selected as a case study. Stresa Festival is undoubtedly one of the best-known European classical music festivals that every year offers performances by internationally famous artists to its audiences. Structured questionnaires have been used as the methodology to carry out the research. Online questionnaires have been handed out to residents and non-resident visitors to the Stresa Festival to extract the opinions and experience from the public on the image effects of this festival. Findings reveal that there is a positive relationship between this cultural event and the enhancement of the city image and its territory.

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Enhancing Brand Image through Events and Cultural Festivals: the Perspective of the Stresa Festival’s Visitors

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