Title: The impact of cultural event on city image: an evaluation of the 2008 European capital of culture, Liverpool

Authors: Yi-De Liu

Addresses: Graduate Institute of European Cultures and Tourism, National Taiwan Normal University, 4F, No.129, Hoping E. Rd., Sec.1, 10610, Taipei, Taiwan

Abstract: As a former industrial city, Liverpool saw the opportunity of staging the 2008 European capital of culture as a crucial opportunity to replace the negative stereotypes associated with the city and show itself off to the world. The aim of this research is to evaluate the impact of cultural event on the city image of Liverpool by considering different components of imagery. It was done by looking at both qualitative and quantitative data collected from documents, interviews, survey and focus groups with key stakeholders as well as content analysis of media. The research findings reflect a wider picture of the effectiveness of the event-led strategy for city reimaging, including the perspectives of local residents, local industries and developers, media and visitors.

Keywords: cultural events; European Capital of Culture; city image; city branding; Liverpool; negative stereotypes; positive images; imagery; city re-imaging.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLTM.2014.059258

International Journal of Leisure and Tourism Marketing, 2014 Vol.4 No.1, pp.19 - 30

Received: 11 May 2013
Accepted: 18 Aug 2013
Published online: 07 Aug 2014 *

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