ABSTRACT
Festivals and cultural events are an important part of the rising trend towards cultural tourism, not least because they motivate repeat visits, something particularly difficult for cultural tourism attractions. Furthermore, the wide benefits of events make them rival in importance with built heritage and cultural facilities since they are more flexible than some types of facilities, they normally cost less, they have stronger impact in the short term and they help differentiate urban spaces. In addition to these reasons, there is increasing interest in hosting cultural events thanks to their positive contribution to local marketing strategies.
