Title: The spatial-economic impact of cultural events

Authors: Stella Kostopoulou, Stamatis Kalogirou

Addresses: Department of Economics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki 54124, Greece. ' Department of Geography, Harokopio University of Athens, 70 El. Venizelou Str., Athens 17671, Greece

Abstract: Cultural events such as festivals are emerging worldwide as a dynamic sector of the tourism and leisure industries with significant economic, social, cultural and political impacts on the destination area. Their economic importance stems from the expenditure of the attendants that filters through the local economy of the host community. This paper seeks to explore the degree to which economic benefits generated by film festivals are spread out evenly around the festival venues within the host community. The paper uses a business survey technique to assess the direct economic impact of a film festival on the local leisure business sector. The 2008 Thessaloniki International Film Festival is used as a case study in order to provide empirical evidence for an uneven economic impact over space. The paper makes use of primary data to determine the spatial extent of the festival|s economic benefits within the Thessaloniki Metropolitan Area.

Keywords: cultural events; film festivals; economic impacts; spatial impact; business survey; events tourism; Greece.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSD.2011.041967

International Journal of Sustainable Development, 2011 Vol.14 No.3/4, pp.309 - 331

Published online: 28 Feb 2015 *

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