ABSTRACT
Introduction Attracting and managing major events has grown into an internationally competitive activity for city councils and governments. Events are effective in creating publicity for the destination through media exposure (Goldblatt 2000), investment through new facilities and infrastructure (Sakai 2006), income through tourism (Long and Perdue 1990; Uysal and Gitelson 1994) and boosting industries downstream (Frechtling and Horvath 1999). The event organisers and primary stakeholders (Reid and Arcodia 2002) thereby offer local tourism operators longterm opportunities to consolidate the destination brand as well as to increase revenues for themselves and the destination in the short term, through integrated marketing initiatives. In return, the secondary stakeholders who provide for tourists and facilitate the visit to the event need to provide a match between the event’s theme and aspirations, and the destination’s long-term strategic goals that stem from holding events.
