Events are an important motivator of tourism, and
figure prominently in the development and marketing plans
of most destinations. The roles and impacts of planned
events within tourism have been well documented, and are
of increasing importance for destination competitiveness.
Yet it was only a few decades ago that ‘event tourism’
became established in both the tourism industry and in the
research community, so that subsequent growth of this
sector can only be described as spectacular.
Equally, ‘event management’ is a fast growing professional
field in which tourists constitute a potential market
for planned events and the tourism industry has become a
vital stakeholder in their success and attractiveness. But
not all events need to be tourism oriented, and some fear
the potential negative impacts associated with adopting
marketing orientation. As well, events have other important
roles to play, from community-building to urban
renewal, cultural development to fostering national identities—tourism
is not the only partner or proponent.
In this paper the nature, evolution and future development
of ‘event tourism’ are discussed, pertaining to both
theory and professional practice. Emphasis is placed on
research and publication trends, and on a critical evaluation
of knowledge creation, theory building, and future
directions. The perspective taken is primarily that of
destinations and the tourism industry, although other
viewpoints are discussed.
Five main sections are subsequently presented. The first is
entitled The Event Perspective; it starts with a typology of
what constitutes the ‘planned events’ sector (Fig. 1). ‘Event
management’ as a profession is defined, and ‘event studies’ is
discussed as an emerging academic field. In the second
section, The Tourism Perspective, ‘event tourism’ is defined
from both a demand and supply perspective, then its goals
are examined. Fig. 2 is presented to illustrate the interrelationships
between events and tourism. A number of
event tourism career paths are identified (Fig. 3), then within
a discussion of the destination perspective an event portfolio
model is examined (Fig. 4). This strategic approach can help
shape evaluation, planning, and policy for events.
Event Tourism in the Research Literature constitutes the
third section, with the review first presented chronologically,
showing the origins and evolution of event tourism
within the context of both tourism and event management.
A thematic approach is then taken to review the three
general types of event (i.e., business, sport, festivals) that
have attracted the most attention from researchers and
practitioners. Also covered in more detail are the ‘mega’
events that have generated their own research lines.