Managing music festivals for tourism purposes in Catalonia (Spain)

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to assess the touristic potential of music festivals in Catalonia. It is an opportune goal because even though this region is experiencing an important increase of new festivals and cultural events, there is a lack of adequate coordinating and guiding tourism policies. Design/methodology/approach - The data was gathered with a survey to managers of music festivals that provided information about their management structure and economic results. The study findings are the result of an analysis done with a statistical multivariate technique and constructing indicators of event economic feasibility and tourism specialisation. Findings - Data reveals the coexistence of two different types of festivals in Catalonia depending on their cultural or touristic orientation and with clear differences in their management style. Both types have a professionalized management structure and an economic self-sufficiency when compared with the rest of Catalan cultural events, so they can be considered as an asset for regional tourism development. Nevertheless, some problems are detected in management practices that should be improved when implementing a specific tourism event policy. Originality/value - The research has built a unique event data base that can be useful for decision making in tourism public administration. The paper suggests that local and regional administration should consider music festivals and cultural events, in general, as excellent resources to create new tourism products. Some of the characteristics of festivals, such as their important potential as tourism attractions and their cultural identity or the economical success, are critical assets to their high potential in local tourism development. These findings should justify a more resolute public policy of events and music festivals in Catalonia.