Evaluation of the Effect of Festival Tourism on Urban Economy: The Case of Van Shopping Fest

Authors : Emin ARSLAN, Hakan KENDİR

Pages : 299-306

View : 30 | Download : 10

Publication Date : 2019-11-01

Article Type : Review Paper

Abstract :Around the world, thousands of festivals are organized at micro and macro level. In terms of the participant number, crowded festivals offer serious contributions to the economies of cities. Since 2015, the `Van Shopping Fest` is held every year from 15 March to 5 April in Van. This festival, attracts the attention with creates positive influence on the urban economy thanks to its high number of participants. The festival date is planned according to the 25-day of Nevruz holiday in neighboring Iran. In this way, it was ensured that Van attracted a significant amount of tourists from Iran, especially by road. While approximately 20.000 Iranian tourists arrived in Van in 2008, the number of Iranian tourists in 2017 exceeded 400.000. On the other hand, over 60,000 Iranian tourists visited the city during the Van Shopping Fest in 2018. With this rapid increase in numbers, the sales volumes of enterprises rised. In addition, new tourism investments in the city and new business opportunities have begun to occur. From this point of view, the aim of this study is to examine and evaluate the contribution of festival tourism to urban economy in Van. SWOT method was used within the scope of this study`s purpose.
Keywords : Festival Tourism, Van, Van Shopping Fest, Urban Economy

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