How is the residents level of interest influenced (or not) by their perceptions of the social impacts of a recurring event?

Abstract

This study evaluated residents' level of interest in a recurring event based on their perceptions of the social impacts resulting from the event. A survey was conducted amongst residents employing a questionnaire. The results revealed four social impacts, namely, destination impacts, negative community impacts, public impacts and economic impacts. Negative impacts and destination impacts are the top two social impact factors. The residents' level of interest in the festival is low (with only 16% being avid fans), which is unexpected considering the periodic nature of the festival for the last 28 years. Unique to this study was that among the social impact factors, only public impacts were a predictor of residents 'level of interest in the festival. Festival organizers need to ensure that the positive impacts supersede the adverse effects to improve residents 'support for and interest in the festival. It was evident that residents do not necessarily support a recurring event, and that initiatives are needed to spark the interest of the residents as they influence the sustainability of such a festival.