From Quality to Expenditures - A Case Study of Storsjöyran Music Festival, Sweden

Abstract

This study is based on previous research on Quality, Satisfaction, Willingness-to-Pay and Spending behaviour, in tourism and particularly in the area of festival management. A web and telephone survey on 326 festival visitors was conducted at Storsjöyran Music Festival 2005 in Östersund, Sweden to give the base for new findings concerning visitors perception of their festival experience including their spending behaviour. This thesis approaches the complexity of causal links in a proposed and tested model, from festival experience through quality and satisfaction perceptions to the festival visitors’ Willingness-to-Pay and actual expenditures. Findings show that these links need to be considered when designing, planning and operating a festival in order to succeed and create loyalty among visitors. However, findings from Storsjöyran show that there are differences in the magnitude of effects from altering specific festival activities and factors influencing the next causal stage since there are also extraneous and social-psychological events that organisers might not be able to influence, determining the outcome of the festival.