ABSTRACT
Events can provide a source of visitors for both the tourism and hospitality industries. Visitors are savvy consumers who conduct social media research to learn about the experience of previous visitors. The event should have the support of the community and lead to economic development. Both the hospitality and tourism industries have realized that a reliable source of visitors has been events. The characteristic of a service product being perishable will affect the attendance and revenue of an event. One of the early models to capture the varying and often simultaneous motivations for traveling to events is relevant when discussing visitor motivation. The motivation for attending an event may simply be social, such as the need to interact with community members. Heritage events can be built on the traditions of local residents. These can attract visitors that wish to share that heritage or visitors who are merely curious.
