In the 1960s and 1970s the events sector was not
recognized as an area of separate study within leisure,
tourism or recreation, all of which were rapidly growing in
the academic community and in professional practice.
Boorstin (1961), an historian, first drew attention to the
phenomenon of ‘pseudo events’ created for publicity and
political purposes. Attention was paid to festivals as
anthropology, sociology and art. For example, Greenwood’s
(1972) study of a Basque festival from an
anthropological perspective lamented the negative influence
of tourism on authentic cultural celebrations. The
authenticity of events, their social–cultural impacts, and
effects of tourism on events remain enduring themes.