Event tourism is one of the important types of modern tourism industry. For many countries of the world and Europe, it is a major source of replenishment of the state budget. What are the features of event tourism? What types of it can be called? And how developed is it in Russia? Read about all this below.
Event tourism: the essence of the phenomenon
What is event tourism? What are its features? One small example will help answer this question. Imagine a small old town with a certain set of historical and architectural attractions, several museums. And then one day the local authorities of this town decide: to establish a ballooning festival. In a couple of years, thousands of tourists come here to watch dozens of huge and colorful balloons rise into the sky.
That's what event tourism looks like literally. In English-language literature, there is also such a thing as “event tourism”. The word event can be translated into Russian exactly as "event", "show", "ceremony". Thus, event tourism is nothing more than the movement of people in order to attend an event taking place outside their permanent residence.
Events that attract tourists can be very different. For example, it can be a music festival with performances by famous rock groups, or a complex of street theatrical performances. Active travel of travelers is also provoked by some sports (for example, the World Cup or the Olympics).
The role and development of event tourism
In the global tourism industry, this variety of it was firmly established only at the end of the last century. In the next decade, the event tourism sector on the planet has shown impressive rates of its growth and development. Millions of people annually leave their cities and villages in order to visit one of the festivals, etc.
Events are attractive in that they are unique, authentic and never repeated. In other words, in order to get vivid and exceptional emotions, a tourist needs to be in a certain place and at a certain time.
What is the role of event tourism? It can perform several important functions. For instance:
- attract new tourists;
- stimulate the development of the infrastructure of the village;
- contribute to the revival of "depressed" cities and towns;
- help in creating a positive image of the region.
The main types of events
Modern types of event tourism are determined by the theme of certain events (events). Some of them are held only for fun, relaxation and entertainment. Others set themselves more fundamental goals: for example, educational, enlightening or sports.
The typology of events in event tourism provides for the allocation of several of their classes (types). Among those, we can distinguish:
- cultural events (carnivals, festivals, concerts, exhibitions, etc.);
- sports and entertainment (world and European championships, Olympic competitions);
- scientific and educational events (conferences, symposia, seminaries and lectures);
- business (meetings, meetings, presentations, business fairs and more).
Event tourism in the world: the most famous festivals and events
Event tourism in the world is developing very rapidly. After all, it provides an opportunity not only to have a great rest, but also to become an integral part of something grand and big. Unusual event tours are able to give a person a whole bunch of bright and unforgettable emotions.
Perhaps the most famous carnivals in the world are the Venetian and Brazilian. They impress guests with their scale and duration. For several weeks, two cities - Venice and Rio de Janeiro - in fact, are turning into huge festival venues.
Thousands of flora lovers come to Amsterdam every September for the annual Flower Parade, and also to Japan to witness the Bonsai Festival with their own eyes. Admirers of alcoholic beverages can be seen at Oktoberfest in Germany or at the Wine Festival in Moldova.
There are sports as well as musical events (the most popular are the annual Eurovision song contest, the Salzburg Music Festival, the Montreux Jazz Festival and others). And cities like Milan or Paris, as if with a magnet, attract people who seriously follow the latest fashion trends.
Brazilian carnival: grandiose and colorful
Carnival in Rio de Janeiro (as well as in other cities of Brazil) is held annually. At its core, it is a kind of analogue of the Russian Pancake Week, marking the beginning of Great Lent. In this way, the Brazilians say goodbye to the "meat pleasures" for forty days. Carnival has long been the most important national holiday in this Latin American country.
This celebration was "brought" to Brazil by the Portuguese in the XVII century. In the following centuries, the carnival changed under the cultural influence of other countries - primarily France and Italy. In the XIX century, the carnival in Brazil was enriched with various masks, colorful costumes, as well as some colorful characters that have survived to this day.
Oktoberfest: fun and heady
Oktoberfest is a large-scale beer festival held annually in Munich. The festival lasts about two weeks. During this time, its participants coming from all over the world drink up to six million liters of beer!
In total, about 6 million tourists visit the Oktoberfest in Munich annually. The total monetary turnover of the holiday is approximately 450 million euros. Throughout the celebration, more than a hundred medical workers work on the festival site, whose task is to bring too zealous "beer tourists" to their senses.
Event tourism in Russia and its development
How developed is event tourism in Russia? Today, our country can offer foreign tourists several quality and interesting events and activities. Among these:
- "Golden Mask" (theater festival).
- International Arts Festival in Kaliningrad.
- Victory Day on Borodino.
- Kinotavr festival in Sochi.
- Ysykhak summer holiday in Yakutia and others.
By variety, the Russian event tourism market is in no way inferior to the foreign one. However, in terms of funding, scope and level of training, it loses significantly.
It is very important to realize that event tourism can become an inexhaustible source of income for a city or region of Russia. So, for example, in Tobolsk alone, about 20 different events are held annually, which each year replenish the city budget by about 50 million rubles.
Of course, the country's underdeveloped infrastructure (poor roads, lack of a sufficient number of good hotels, etc.) acts as a major deterrent to the development of event tourism in Russia. Quite often, a stick in the wheel puts this type of tourism and the passivity of officials, their unwillingness to take part in the preparation for a particular event.
Finally...
Event tourism is a branch of the tourism industry that is actively developing in the 21st century. These are numerous trips with the aim of attending certain events, festivals, sports or music events.
The most visited and popular world events are the Olympic Games, carnivals in Venice and Rio de Janeiro, Oktoberfest, Formula 1, Eurovision car races, the Festival of the Middle Ages in Sedan and others.
The Russian event tourism market is also actively developing, but so far it is significantly inferior to the foreign one. All events in Russia lose to foreign ones both in scale and in terms of funding.