Izvorni znanstveni članak
https://doi.org/10.37741/t.73.4.8
Arts Festivals’ Impact on the Sense of Place of Festival Locations: The Case of Croatia
Ives Vodanović Lukić
orcid.org/0000-0001-7539-7872
; Institute for Tourism, Zagreb, Croatia;
Sažetak
The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of small-scale arts festivals on creating a sense of place among festival visitors through various placemaking practices. Arts festivals are a vital component of a destination's cultural tourism offerings. However, by adapting to the tourism market, they are often subject to uniformity and blandness, much like the places that host them. To avoid this, it is essential to actively consider the role of sense of place in the design and planning of festivals and cultural events.
The qualitative research methodology employed in this study comprises 40 semi-structured interviews with visitors to five arts festivals in smaller rural towns and communities in Croatia (Grožnjan, Motovun, Ogulin, Zagvozd, Ernestinovo). The results of the study show that the interviewees' perception of the festival locations has changed significantly compared with their previous experiences of the same places. All visitors agree that the festival has had a positive influence on their perception of the place where it is organised and that it has become a defining feature of the place's identity, distinguishing it from other similar settlements in the area. Most foreign visitors indicated that they would not have visited the location were it not for the festival, as they would have been unaware of its existence. Meanwhile, local visitors had previously viewed it as merely a brief stopover on the way to other attractions. The practical implications of the research focus on understanding and enhancing the visitor experience to inform better planning and management of arts festivals. The originality of this research lies in its aim to address the literature gap concerning the importance of arts festivals in creating a distinct sense of place of festival locations in the Croatian context.
Ključne riječi
sense of place; placemaking; arts festivals; festival visitors; Croatia
Hrčak ID:
337345
URI
Datum izdavanja:
31.10.2025.
Posjeta: 894 *