The Role of Niche Tourism Products in Destination - Repository ...

2.4 Contribution of Festivals and Events to Niche Tourism
Festivals and events were chosen as a secondary area for in depth study and to further contextualise the contribution of niche
tourism to destination development. The academic debate around festivals and events emerged over ten years ago, as festival
tourism was termed ‘an emerging giant’ (Getz and Frisby, 1988). The term was used to incorporate special event tourism and
festivals of any size, content or interest (O Sullivan and Jackson, 2002). Festivals and events are seen to extend the tourist season,
encourage investment, generate revenue and boost the local economy. Getz identifies how ‘as with any niche market, or special
interest travel segment’ (Getz, 2007, p.140) we can define event tourism from two different perspectives – that of the destination
and that of the consumer. He discusses five key roles that events can have as Attractions, Animators, Place Marketing, Image-
Makers and Catalysts. It is these key roles that will frame the subsequent discussion whilst identifying the shortfalls and gaps in the
event tourism literature.
An event’s ‘drawing power’ or ‘attractiveness’ can be measured by the numbers of tourists who will visit the event and their
frequency of travel. The key strategy adopted by government tourism bodies of many ‘event tourism’ destinations is, rather than
focusing on tourism volumes, to try to attract high yield, dedicated event tourists and develop a balanced and well managed
portfolio of events that generate the optimum benefits for the destination. Tourists can encounter events and festivals in a number
of different ways. Often, mega or hallmark events can be the key motivator to visiting the destination, and in commercial terms are
packaged to these niche markets with the festival or event as the core product. The recent hosting of the Formula 1 Etihad Airways
Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi is a key example of this with the event being used to position Abu Dhabi internationally as a high yield
tourism destination. The biggest event ever to be held in the UAE it achieved a media reach of over 600 million, becoming more