‘Festivalscape’ factors influencing visitors’ loyalty to an agri-festival in South Africa

Abstract

Orientation: The NAMPO Harvest Day is the largest festival of its kind in the southern hemisphere. To sustain the festival's success, it is important to assess which 'festivalscape' factors influence visitors' loyalty. Research purpose: What combination of 'festivalscape' factors contributes to the loyalty of visitors to an agri-festival in South Africa? Motivation for the research: Agri-tourism is a relatively new concept and limited research has been done; thus this research makes a contribution to the current literature base on the topic. Research approach and method: A probability sampling method was used during NAMPO Harvest Day 2014 to distribute 422 questionnaires by means of stratified sample. Factor analysis was performed to identify the 'festivalscape' factors that influence loyalty, after which structural equation modelling was applied to identify the relationships between the factors and loyalty. Main findings: Nine loyalty factors were identified. The analysis revealed a direct positive relationship between loyalty and lifestyle, escape and socialisation as well as loyalty and agricultural exposure and education. Practical implications and contribution: This research gives valuable insights into the 'festivalscape' factors that influence loyalty to an agri-festival in South Africa. Loyalty amongst visitors can be created through the management of a variety of factors. The findings from this research can be used by similar agri-festivals in the country to create loyalty amongst visitors as well as to give exposure to the agri-sector.