THE IMPACTS OF EVENT TOURISM ON HOST COMMUNITIES : Case: the City of Pietarsaari

Abstract

It is a well known fact that tourism is a sector that can contribute to the economic growth of a region. Moreover, tourism produces social benefits to the region (i.e. small and medium-sized enterprises’ development, creation of new jobs, improvement of infrastructure etc.). Culturally, tourism is said to be an element of community enrichment, thanks to the meeting of different cultures. Also tourism can positively contribute to the maintenance of a natural environment by protecting, creating or maintaining national parks or other protected areas. This research focuses on the event tourism sector and its impacts on the economy, environment, politics and the socio-cultural being of the host community. The main aim of this research is to highlight the economic impact and other impacts of well-organized and managed events by host communities on the host community, using Pietarsaari as a case study. In this research work, the researcher adopts the semi-structured interview style to analyze the impacts of the event tourism on host communities and in this case, Pietarsaari is put on a scale. Organizers and experts in the field of event tourism of the city are interviewed and their views and opinions are used as the basis of the researcher’s analysis from which findings are gotten and recommendations made.

The findings of this study gave rise to the fact that although event tourism can be used by host communities as a tool for destination development and branding, it can also bring negative impacts to the community if not properly planned and organized. A general conclusion is that events affect host communities mainly by constructing a destination image and by building community commitment.