ECONOMIC AND TOURISM IMPACT OF SMALL EVENTS: THE CASE OF SMALL-SCALE FESTIVALS IN ISTANBUL, TURKEY
I. EGRESI1, F. KARA2 1 Department of Geography, Fatih University, 34500 Büyükçekmece, Istanbul, email: iegresi@fatih.edu.tr 2 Department of Geography, Fatih University, 34500 Büyükçekmece, Istanbul, email: fatihkarai@fatih.edu.tr
ABSTRACT. – Economic and Tourism Impact of Small Events: the Case of Small-Scale Festivals in Istanbul, Turkey. More and more festivals are organized every year around the world, in big cities and villages alike, due to the numerous benefits they are perceived to bring at local and national levels. While the economic and tourism impact of mega events and of hallmark events is better documented there are very few studies dealing with the economic impact of small events. Consequently, to close this gap, our study investigated the importance of small events and festivals for local economic development and as tourism attractions in Istanbul, Turkey. We used a questionnaire to interview non-local participants at three different small festivals taking place in April and May 2013. We found that, although tourists attending these festivals spend money in the local economy, the economic impact of these events is limited due to the fact that very few tourists were found to participate. The role of these small festivals as primary motivators for tourism is therefore being questioned; however, small festivals could play more important roles as secondary attractions.