The impact of festivalscape components on festivalgoers’ behavioral intentions: The case of the International Festival of Carthage

Abstract

This study aims to determine how festivalscape components (i.e., the festival program, staff, information, and atmosphere) affect the positive and negative emotions of festivalgoers. It also examines the impact of visitors’ emotions on their satisfaction. Moreover, it explores the influence of participants’ satisfaction on their behavioral intention. To test the research hypotheses, a quantitative approach, with a sample of 300 Tunisian who have attended the International Festival of Carthage, was conducted. The analytical packages (exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses) confirmed most of the research hypotheses. The empirical results indicated that the festival information, program, atmosphere and staff are crucial predictors of festivalgoers’ emotions. Furthermore, positive and negative emotions seem to predict satisfaction, which in turn is a determinant of tourists’ behavior and also influences their intention to revisit and recommend the festival to others. Theoretical and managerial contributions, limitations, and further research directions are given.

Keywords:

• Behavioral responses
• festivalscape dimensions
• tourism events
• visitors’ emotions
• visitors’ satisfaction