Tourism marketing: A game theory tool for application in arts festivals

Abstract

There is concern that the increasing number of arts festivals in South Africa might lead to 'festival fatigue'. A tool that could be used to ensure high-quality offerings and the sustainability of festivals as tourist attractions is described and demonstrated in this article. The three largest arts festivals in South Africa (Potchefstroom, Grahamstown and Oudtshoorn) were studied. Five different attributes - festival brands, ticket prices, entertainment activities, food and beverages and transport to venues - were developed to describe arts festivals. Conjoint analysis was used in a linear regression model with individual ratings for each festival product. The average of the r-squares was 0.83. Game theory was applied as a tool to determine the different combinations of attributes that gave each of the three festival scenarios an optimum position in its niche market. Similarly, the tool can be applied to festivals in various contexts to ensure that optimal quality is achieved.