Kruger, M.Saayman, M.Ellis, S.M.2012-02-292012-02-292010Kruger, M. et al. 2010. Does loyalty pay? First-time versus repeat visitors at a national arts festival. Southern African business review, 14(1):79-104 [http://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC92901]1561-896X1998-8125 (Online)http://hdl.handle.net/10394/6115http://journals.co.za/content/sabr/14/1/EJC92901http://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC92901The aim of this research is to segment visitors to one of South Africa’s biggest arts festivals based on the frequency of visits in order to distinguish between fi rst-time and repeat festival attendees. Both fi rst-time and repeat visitor groups play a fundamental role in the overall well-being and success of a festival, and festival organisers must strive to achieve a balance between fi rst-time and repeat visitors. Festival managers should therefore be aware of the festival attributes that di ff erentiate between the fi rst-time visitor group and repeat visitors attending the festival. These di ff erences include socio-demographics, behavioural characteristics, destination perception, perceived value and tr avel motivations. This article therefore compares fi rst-time and repeat visitors to the Klein Karoo National Arts Festival based on these categories. A questionnaire survey (N = 555) was conducted at the festival, and the fi ndings indicate that there are signi fi cant di ff erences between fi rst-time and repeat visitors at the festival. First-time visitors spend a signi fi cant amount of money during the festival and are mainly motivated by Relaxation and socialisation and Festival shows/productions, while repeat visitors are loyal visitors who stay longer and spend more money, especially on tickets supporting the festival’s shows/ productions. Results reveal that both fi rst-time and repeat visitor groups are important for the long-term sustainability of the festival. T h is m e t h o d o f s e g m e n t a t i o n h a s p r o v e d t o b e su c c essf ul a n d is us e d as the basis for proposing managerial and marketing implications for the festival organisers