Event Tourism: Legacy and Impact, Essay Example

• Legacy- Definition Of Legacy, Why It’s Important

1.0 1- Definition of Legacy

Legacy is the event that takes place habitually on a certain regular basis. These events may pertain to annual anniversary or commemoration celebrations. These events need celebration because they reminisce certain events from the past that has left a hallmark of national or personal memories. Legacy may also pertain to events, which need remembrance on a regular basis due to the importance the events have attached to the lives of hundreds of people through the years that they (the events) have come to exist. An example of this event is the annual MTV European Music Awards. This annual event has a special meaning to the city of Belfast. It hosted the annual awards gala in 2011.

There is a lot of awareness about how to manage the legacy of events effectively. How they can be marketed to the right population, how they can be implemented safely and how to choose the right venues to conduct them (Foley, McGillivray & McPherson, 2012). However, there are less information on how to best resource the events? How to choose among the supporting systems suited for the events? Which public investments need to give at the expense of financially supporting these events (Foley, McGillivray & McPherson, 2012)? When considering converting an event into a legacy, it is easy to determine which population to target for the event. Certain awards ceremonies are for the teens, kids and the general population itself. For example, the MTV Teen Choice Awards are for teen audiences. If there is such event in the city, most of the foreign tourists who would attend the event festivities are teens.

Most of the coordinators of the events are well aware to study the appropriateness and safety of the venues before deciding to have the events take place in certain locations. The dilemma is choosing the best management to manage the coordination of events. This is because it is usually very hard to trust people who may be potential coordinators of events. Some of them take advantage of the situation and do not do their jobs properly. Financial resources are necessary when coordinating events. There are many other events to organise and the budget is not always enough to sustain all of these activities. Therefore, it is always best to have the ability to prioritise the event, which is most likely to succeed in the market.

Cities around the world usually turn in to hosting annual events in order to market themselves in the global world. In recent years, the stability of the economies of countries around the world vary (Richards & Palmer, 2010). Most countries use their histories, spaces, creative energy and talents in bringing about their global success in the world (Richards & Palmer, 2010). It would likewise be an honour to a city to host an annual internationally recognised awards gala. Hosting such an event would enable an otherwise unknown city to become noticeable in the global world. As a result, due to such exposure, it is possible that such city boosts a gain in its tourism industry.

Festivals are significant in enabling people to release their stress from the negative realities of life (Richards & Palmer, 2010). Festivals make people relieve their fears of the everyday crimes that their cities may experience at times (Richards & Palmer, 2010). The legacy of hosting an annual awards event in a city, which has a dark past, in terms of increased crime rates, bring about a positive light to the city.

2 The Reasons That Legacy Is Important

Legacy is important because it commemorates certain significant moments of people’s lives. Events such as awards nights play important roles in enabling the audiences to see their appreciation of the entertainment industry come to life. It makes the audiences feel that the staff behind the production of the entertainment products they come to enjoy get award because these people are motivated in keeping their fans happy.

The legacy imparted by the awards night result in the audiences keeping glued to their seats at their homes just to witness their idols receive the awards. These fans may likely include those people living in the host city of the awards night. The fans for this host city may promote their city to the world for tourism growth as they witness their idols arrive live at their city. Gone would be the only thinking that the city is an unsafe place and nothing else.

• Impacts – 2.1 social, 2.2 economic, 2.3 environmental, 2.4 cultural and 2.5 physical. Defining each and giving examples positive and negative impacts of EMAS to Belfast – The main positive impacts of the EMAS economic and social, the negative impacts such as over estimating economic impact and exclusion and other ideas.
  • Social Impacts of The EMAs To Belfast

Social impacts refer to the effects caused on the lives of people due to certain events (Anon., 2013). The music industry made an influence to the social lives of the people when they desire companion by themselves, instead of surrounding themselves with people (Berkowitz, 2010). Music awards in foreign cities make them appreciate the beauty of tourist activities combined with the appreciation of the social companion they come to enjoy during idle times, music.

The MTV European Music Awards enable people from other parts of the world get associated with the Irish people. They get to learn the different personalities of people outside of their own country and racial group. Furthermore, tourism in Ireland gives a boost from the social interactions or friendships formed between the locales of Belfast and people from other countries of the world witnessing the EMAs. The latter get to learn from the locales the good places to visit the city that the foreigners would not have otherwise known by themselves. Sightseeing the beauty of the roads of Ireland is a common way of touring in the country (Williams, 2010). Foreigners who have maintained friendships with the locales may likely join a fan club of their favourite artist in attendance of the awards night in Belfast. Upon joining the club, they would get to witness their idol touring the roads of Belfast. They would get to appreciate the beauty of the city of Belfast. They would have something to boast of the tourism getaway in Ireland to their friends in their native countries. Irish people would also be able to boost their social skills through interactions with foreigners through attending this event.

2.2 Economic Impacts of The EMAs To Belfast

Economic impacts pertain to the effects, which are visible financially in hosting major events (Anon, n.d.) In hosting major award events, the economic impacts on the host city, such as gaining monetary sources out of tourism boost is very important. The MTV EMAs allow tourists from all over the world witness the events in the host city, boosting tourism growth through ticket and establishment sales.

It is paramount that, in the tourists or foreigners’ minds, they come to consider Dublin as the primary tourist destination city in Ireland (Williams, 2010). Foreigners coming to Dublin for the first time would realise that it is not only Dublin, which can be a tourist spot in Ireland. They would get to see the efforts of Belfast authorities to keep the city safe, hence, making these foreigners and their loved ones back home come to Belfast for tourism next time around. The tourism trends of Belfast would grow, bringing more economic growth to the city. Economic growth means more support systems in keeping the city secure and decreasing the city’s crime rates. The tourism earnings for the city enables the city’s government to fund other needed programs in their government, such as programs for sustaining the poor.

• Environmental Impacts Of EMAs To Belfast

Environmental impacts consists the effects which may arise from hosting major events, such as cost effectiveness and sources availed for funding or sponsorship (Anon., n.d.). The host city of major award events, such as Belfast, must make sure that their budget is able to meet the hosting of such an event. The city government must make sure that their city would not suffer inflation after the hosting an event due to bankruptcy.

The 2011 MTV European Music Awards enable the environments of the artists participating in the awards night to get familiarise in an emerging city, Belfast. These artists would get to enjoy the unique tourism features the city represents, a uniqueness, which the popular tourism European city London cannot offer. Celebrities often regard London as the typical city to go to for tourism. Hence, London hosted plenty of previous awards ceremonies. Not only have the fans had to enjoy the tourism in Belfast, but the artists attending the EMAs as well.

• Cultural Impacts Of The EMAs To Belfast

Cultural impacts pertain to the identity effects activities have on host cities when hosting major events (Melj, 2008). At times, the native people of host cities lose their cultural roots due to influences of cultures of tourists arising out of the hosting of major events. The MTV EMAs would sure bring in several tourists who love the same music as many people of the corresponding host city. Despite this similarity, differences in food, lifestyles and traditions would still exist between the natives and the tourists.

The employee-customer relations in the establishments of Belfast during the EMAs (i.e., hotels, restaurants, etc.) need to maintain in excellent status in order to boost the tourism growth of Belfast. The social identity theory is significant in maintaining good employee-customer relations (Solnet, 2007). Giving importance to the social identity theory by the employees means that the employees are able to distinguish between the different identities of the customers. Foreigner fan attendees of the EMAs deserve to treat with extra assistance because they are likely to be coming by themselves to attend the EMAs. Several natives of the city, meanwhile, likely escort the artists. Therefore, they would not need much assistance to get around in the city. The differences between the accommodation needs of the foreigner fans and the artists during the EMA festivities speak of the cultural impacts of the EMAs to Belfast. Irish people would likely be more sensitive to cultural differences through dealing with tourist attendees of the EMA.

• Physical Impacts Of The EMAs To Belfast

Physical impacts pertain to the effects major events on the rampant popularity of global broadcasting campaigns (Anon., 2011). Major events such as the MTV EMAs nurture massive media coverage all over the world. This coverage increases the popularity of the city across the world, promoting host cities as potential tourist destinations.

Belfast’s tourism authorities need to take many efforts to advertise the selling of air tickets and hotel room reservations in order to boost the attendance of EMAs in the city. These authorities need to sell aggressively in order to obtain great numbers of foreigners to attend the EMAs, thereby, boosting the tourism growth of the city. Accompanying the advertisements are the assurances of tourism authorities that, they have taken enough measures to make the city crimes free. If the crime prevention project of the city fails during the EMA festivities, the Belfast tourism authorities would incur embarrassment worldwide. In addition, it would be difficult to regain the trust of the worldwide public if this failure occurs. Police forces in the city need to undergo rigorous training programs in order to make sure they succeed in securing the city premises during the event festivities.

• Appropriateness of Development Strategy- Was this the right choice for Belfast, what other options did they have?

3.1 Was this the right choice for Belfast?

The hosting of the 2011 MTV European Music Awards in Belfast was the right choice for the city to boost tourism. Although, Belfast has a negative city image in Ireland due to its increasing crime rates, the city is also known for its lively musical roots. Several popular artists in the music scene claim their roots in this city. The city would just need to make efforts in combatting crimes in order to reduce crime rates. The city needed to take risk in promoting their city for tourism in order to boost economic growth, which would eventually sustain more improvement expenses required in the city.

3.2 Other Options in Tourism Strategies That Belfast May Take

-The Whole of Life Approach to Tourism- this type of tourism strategy pertains to the study of the whole city or location before embarking on a tour (Darcy & Dickson, 2008). The tourists traveling in a foreign city or country must first study the safety of the country or city. They must first study the incidence of crime rates in the city before deciding to pay visits. High crime rates may indicate the instability of a city or a country. Tourists must study the accessibility of police authorities in the cities that they plan to visit before actually planning for their trip. In Belfast, although the crime rates are high, several tourists were able to study that police authorities have made efforts in being able to secure the city premises. The tourists should feel at peace and they would get protection against crimes, which may occur.

The accessibility to the prime tourist destinations of the city need study as well before tourists embark on their trips (Darcy & Dickson, 2008). During the Belfast EMAs, the tourists must calculate the study of the prices of hotel room reservations and popular restaurants if they meet their budget. It would be difficult to arrive in the city, only to find out that their budget is on short to use for their expenses. The budgeting of funds for air tickets is important to be included in the travel plans as well. This type of budgeting includes the plans of making sure that there would be enough money to pay for the purchase of air tickets, the tourism accommodations and miscellaneous expenses during the trip.

Making sure that the tourist attractions visited in the city to travel to be interesting before embarking on the trip is another part of this tourism approach. Attending the Belfast EMAs ensures that the attendees from other countries have developed keen interests in music and the artists in general to attend the EMAs. These fans from other countries are usually music fanatics who may also love to travel to learn about new countries’ traditions and tourist spots. In short, it would be helpful if the travellers also bring with them a travel book during travel to Belfast during the festivities in order to avoid getting lost.

-Importance-Performance Analysis Approach to Tourism-this type of tourism strategy aims to study the competence of the performances of the employees involved in the tourism industry (Jie, Ayres & Huyton, 2009). Employees in the tourism industry are among the personnel who are most required to be friendly to customers. They are the employees who are usually out on the public, facing people from various backgrounds. The primary performance competence criteria that the management would look into upon is friendliness by the staff in hotels, restaurants and other establishments that foreign fans and celebrities (artists) would be hanging out at during the Belfast EMA festivities. The staff of the Odyssey Arena, the venue of the 2011 Belfast EMA would be likely to be scrutinised by their management for their willingness to accommodate fans and celebrities in a friendly manner. Authorities training the police forces in keeping the premises of Belfast safe need training not only to provide safety, but also to provide warm accommodations to the fans and celebrities during the EMA festivities.

Competence in promoting the many services of the establishments where the attendees of the

EMA festivities would be hanging out is another criteria managements look out for. Through promoting these services, the city itself produces people who would be there to advantageously promote or sell themselves. This positive act reflects the best outlooks that the people of Belfast have on themselves, making their city and themselves in general, attract visitors. Native people of Belfast need to realise that the decrease of tourism in their city could economically affect their living conditions.

• Leverage – Define And Examples Of How This Can Be Done And Could Have Been Used By Belfast

Operating leverage is defined as the effort made by the management of a certain firm to in order to boost the returns of investments through taking financial risks (Lev, 1974). A firm may likely borrow a certain capital of money from financial companies in order to sustain their business and likely gain more profits. There is a danger for risking utilising the leverage system, as the financial resources borrowed to sustain the capital of the businesses may not gain profits (Grossman & Vila, 1992). Firms need to be able to weigh in the risks before deciding to risk their assets and utilise the leverage system. Some cities, which opt to host event galas such as the MTV European Music Awards, and risk utilising the leverage system without weighing in the pros and cons, end up in huge national economic financial losses. These cities’ governments end up in not being able to sustain the benefits of the poor people, neglect the establishments of infrastructures most necessary for their economic and political growth, etc.

Belfast could benefit gaining the advice of economic advisors who charge minimal fees to advise whether it would be wise to utilise the advantage system. Doing this can put the city into the safe side. In addition, tourism authorities of the city could refer to past trends of the success of the leverage system when it was utilised by several other cities in coordinating internationally known events. Referring to the past trends mean that the tourism authorities of Belfast should weigh the pros and cons weighed in by organisations in the past before availing of the advantage system.

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