An Examination of Festival Motivation and Perceived Benefits Relationship: Eskişehir International Festival

Abstract

The objectives of this study are threefold. The first objective is to understand the underlying dimensions of motivation for attending a prominent city festival in Turkey and if motivation will vary with respect to the socio-demographic composition of attendees. The second objective is to ascertain how festival attendees perceive the socio-economic benefits of the festival and how these vary across select demographic variables. Finally, the study examines the nature of the relationship that may exist between festival motivation and perceived benefits of the festival. The results indicate that the only significant variation in motivation occurs across gender. Female visitors place significantly more importance on “escape and excitement,” “family togetherness,” and “event novelty.” The findings also reveal that younger attendees seem to place more importance on socialization and event loyalty, and older attendees place more importance on family togetherness. Multiple classification analysis indicates that as age increases, so does the importance placed on event novelty. This finding is also valid for increased educational level. Escape and excitement is a common motivator across all age, income, and occupation groups. The study findings also point out that local attendees see a positive relation between the perceived socioeconomic benefits of events, community cohesion, and motivation for attending such events. The article ends with both practical implications for the festival organizers and city officials and theoretical contributions to the growing research of event attendee behavior.

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