BA (Hons) International Tourism Management

An Investigation into the Use of Events and Festivals as a Marketing Tool for

Increasing Repeat Visitations in a Rural Tourism Setting: A Case Study of

Campbeltown

By

Timothy Robert McKeownGlasgow School of Business and Society

Word Count- 13,032

This dissertation is submitted in partial fulfilment of the

BA (Hons) in International Tourism Management

I declare that this dissertation is my own original work and has not been

submitted elsewhere in fulfilment of the requirements of this or any other

award.

Timothy Robert McKeown

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Signature __________________

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Abstract

The focus of this research project is to investigate the effective use of events and festivals for the purpose of marketing a rural tourism destination, and how this directly affects the number of repeat visitations in the area. Events and festivals play a key role in the modern tourism industry, and industry which continues to grow, as they can help to generate media attention and income for an area. A case study of Campbeltown was decided as being the most appropriate and effective way of completing the research project, with a focus on three different styles of events in the area.

As has been discovered in this project, repeat visitations to a destination can be a direct result of the marketing of an area, much of which is being done through events in the area of Campbeltown, either intentionally or inadvertently. The positive impacts of repeat and loyal visitors is becoming more apparent as competition in the domestic tourism market increases meaning that the continued support of loyal and repeat visitors is more important than ever.

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Acknowledgement

There are number of people whom without their continued support this research project would not be possible. Firstly, thanks must be given to Dr Keith Halcro for delivering the most useful series of classes, providing invaluable insight into the writing and construction of this dissertation.

Secondly, to my academic supervisor Claire Bereziat, who has given guidance and support when necessary to help me write this dissertation to the best of my ability.

Thirdly, to the Explore Campbeltown, Elaine McGeachy and the Campbeltown Christmas Lights Switch On Committee for allowing me to distribute my survey, whose contribution is undoubtedly one of the most significant and important to this project.

Fourthly, to the respondents who kindly took the time to complete my survey, without whom this project would not have been possible.

And finally, to friends and family, far and near for their continued and exceptional support throughout this project and all other years of study, I thank you all.

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Contents Page

Chapter 1- Introduction

1.0 Introduction to chapter.........................................................................................................- 2 -

1.1 Background of research problem................................................................................................- 3 -

1.2 Research Aims and Objectives.....................................................................................................- 5 -

1.3 Research Plan..............................................................................................................................- 6 -

1.4 Dissertation Structure.................................................................................................................- 7 -

Chapter 2- Literature Review

2.0 Introduction to chapter.........................................................................................................- 9 -

2.1 Tourism..................................................................................................................................... - 10 -

2.1.1 Rural Tourism……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. - 11 -

2.2 Events in Tourism......................................................................................................................- 12 -

2.3 Repeat Visitations & Customer Loyalty.....................................................................................- 13 -

2.4 Destination Image & Marketing..............................................................................................- - 15 -

2.4.1 Destination Image: What it is…………………………………………………………………………………………….. - 20 -

2.4.2 Destination Image: Who is involved……………………………………………………................................ - 22 -

2.5 Summary of Chapter……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. - 23 -

Chapter 3- Methodology

3.0 Introduction to chapter.......................................................................................................- 21 -

3.1 Research Philosophy..................................................................................................................- 22 -

3.2 Research Strategy......................................................................................................................- 23 -

3.3 Research Methods.....................................................................................................................- 24 -

3.4 Research Analysis......................................................................................................................- 26 -

3.5 Research Limitations.................................................................................................................- 27 -

3.6 Research Ethics..........................................................................................................................- 28 -

Chapter 4- Findings and Discussion

4.0 Introduction to chapter......................................................................................................- 30 -

4.1 Background................................................................................................................................- 31 -

4.2 Findings..................................................................................................................................... - 32 -

4.3 Discussion..................................................................................................................................- 42 -

Chapter 5- Conclusions and Recommendations

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5.0 Introduction to cha[ter.......................................................................................................- 46 -

5.1 Conclusions................................................................................................................................- 47 -

5.2 Aims and objectives...................................................................................................................- 48 -

5.3 Recommendations.....................................................................................................................- 50 -

5.4 Limitations of Dissertation.........................................................................................................- 52 -

6.0 References.................................................................................................................................- 53 -

Appendices

Appendix A- Example of Questionnaire..……………………………………………………………………………………. - 60 -

Appendix B- Sample of Questionnaire Results…………………..………………………………………………………. - 62 -

Appendix C- Supervision Meeting Form…………………………………………………………………………..………… - 66 -

Appendix D- Research Ethics From…………………………………………………………………………………………… - 67 -

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List of Tables

Table Number Page Number

4.1- Age and Gender of Respondents Pg. 374.2- Place of Residence Pg. 384.3- Events Attended Pg. 394.4- Number of Events Attended Pg. 404.5- Would you Attend the Event Again Pg. 414.6- Have you Revisited the Area Pg. 424.7- Would you Recommend the Event to Others Pg. 444.8- Would you recommend the area to Others Pg. 45

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Glossary

DMO- Destination Marketing Organisation

MOK Fest- Mull of Kintyre Music Festival

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Chapter 1-Introduction

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1.0 Introduction to ChapterThe purpose of this chapter is to provide a brief outline and overview of the chapters that will

make up the undergraduate dissertation. This introductory chapter will include background

information which will form the rationale for the topic choice. In addition to this it will

provide the overall aim of the research project and the objectives which will help the

researcher to meet the overall aim. It will also address the structure of the dissertation giving

a brief and general outline of the timescales which will be set and adhered to in order to

complete the project to an acceptable standard and in a timely manner.

This research project will explore research that has been conducted on a number of different

areas relating to and including rural tourism; repeat visitations; consumer behaviour; the use

of events in tourism; destination image and branding; and marketing techniques giving a

complete overview of the area of interest.

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1.1 Background of research problemThe research topic was chosen for a number of reasons. It is well recognised that tourism

plays a major role in the economies of rural areas (Rofe, 2013), and also in the wider

European economy (Peña et al., 2011). It is also recognised that these rural areas have to

adjust tourism strategies due to the fact that much of a country’s economic activity and

decision making happens in metropolitan areas, which means that the benefits are not felt in

the rural areas (Soria et al., 2014). The creation of identity is completed by using the

marketing mix to help create a brand which people will want to visit (Solomon, 2009), a task

which is done to attract people to one area over another. For this reason, rural areas often try

to offer something new for potential visitors in the form of events and festivals. Despite this,

no national tourism organisation has any tool for the sole purpose of measuring the

importance or impacts of festivals (Soria et al., 2014), although Event Scotland do offer a

variety of guides to help with the running of events. One of these guides looks at post-event

activities, and how the stakeholders involved in the event can offer their feedback. It also

looks at assessing the success of the event which goes some way to measuring the importance

of the event (EventScotland, n.d.). It has also been noted that there is little or no existing

work on the subject of using events to increase the number of repeat visitations in a

destination.

Using the latest figures publicly available from the Scottish Government, a number of

observations can be made about the tourism industry in Scotland. The first of these is that

there has been a fall in overnight trips to Scotland between 2005 and 2010, resulting in a total

number of trips of around 14.7m in 2010. The second is that there has also been a decline in

expenditure in the same time period, leading to a total of around £4.1bn in 2010; however

there has been a slight increase in expenditure from overseas visitors (Scottish Government,

2011)

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Tourists in the area of Argyll are grouped with other regions to make up the West of

Scotland. Tourists to this area from within the UK mostly come from elsewhere in Scotland

(61%), with the rest coming from the other home nations. However, it should be noted that

Scottish visitors only make up 51% of the total expenditure in the area, which is a

disproportionate amount. Argyll & Bute as a whole provides 2.5% of Scotland’s total tourism

related employment, with 5,200 people employed in tourism-related jobs, with Scotland as a

whole employing 203,700 people in tourism (Tourism in Western Scotland, 2011). This helps

to show the importance of the tourism industry for towns in Scotland, and also in Argyll &

Bute, such as Campbeltown. It is for these reasons that this research project has been

undertaken, with the focus on Campbeltown.

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1.2 Research Aims and ObjectivesThis piece of academic work aims to examine the effectiveness of events and festivals as a

marketing tool to help increase repeat visitations in a rural tourism setting. The town of

Campbeltown will serve as a case study for the primary research.

In order to reach the overall research aim a number of smaller research objectives will be put

in place to help achieve this. They are:-

1. To critically review the existing literature surrounding the chosen topic to identify gaps

in the research;

2. To identify and evaluate the most used marketing and customer retention techniques to

see if they would be suitable for use in the area of Campbeltown

3. To create and distribute a suitable questionnaire aimed at participants of selected events

held in Campbeltown, which will provide useful insight into the events which are

currently being visited and the reasons for this;

4. To identify and contact local organisations, committees and individuals which are best

placed to distribute the questionnaire to people who visit events in the area;

5. To suggest recommendations which are achievable and realistic, based on an evaluation

of both primary and secondary sources of research, and will serve the organisations and

committees which organise events in the area for the successful delivery of future

events.

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1.3 Research Plan

Task or Activity Time of Completion

Introduction Chapter This chapter will be completed by the end of February

Literature Review Chapter This chapter will be completed by mid-December

Methodology Chapter This chapter will follow on from the Literature Review being completed by the end of January

Findings & Discussion Chapter This chapter will be completed by mid-March upon the questionnaire results being collected

Conclusions & Recommendations Chapter This chapter will be completed by the end of March

Amendments, Corrections & Printing and Binding Any outstanding amendments will be completed at the start of April, with printing and binding following this

Final Submission Date Final copies will be submitted by 4.00pm on Thursday, 16th April, 2015

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1.4 Dissertation StructureThis dissertation encompasses five separate chapters each with a specific purpose.

This first chapter acts as the Introduction to the dissertation, providing the background to the

research topic, the aims and objectives of the project and also the timescale of the project.

The second chapter of the project is the Literature Review. The literature review evaluates the

research literature available on the topics of interest to help identify major themes, concepts

and developments as well as any gaps in the research.

The third chapter is the Methodology. This chapter provides information on the research

approach and methods which have been selected to carry out the research and meet the

research aim and objectives. Justification of these choices is also provided in this chapter.

The fourth chapter provides the Findings and Discussions of the primary research which has

been conducted. The findings section of this chapter focuses solely on providing a summary

of the main finding that have arisen from the primary research exercise. The discussion part

of this chapter will then explore the meanings behind the findings how these relate to the

ideas raised from the secondary research carried out during the literature review stage.

Finally, the fifth chapter Conclusions and Recommendations connects all of the research and

makes it relevant to the aims and objectives which were first set out. The conclusion section

will attempt to explore the research results in order to make sense of what has been

discovered. The recommendations section offers recommendations for future research

relating both to the topic and the process which was followed and used throughout the

project.

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Chapter 2-Literature Review

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2.0 Introduction to ChapterThis section of the dissertation is the literature review. During this chapter, a comprehensive

review of existing work and literature on the specific area or field of interest is undertaken

(Sekeran & Bougie, 2013). The purpose of this review is to highlight any gaps in the existing

literature which may merit further exploration during the primary research stage that will be

undertaken during this project. The primary research is lead and guided by the findings of the

literature review, with the findings providing a framework to work around (Sekeran &

Bougie, 2013).

The chapter explores the tourism industry in general to then focus on rural tourism and the

use of events in tourism; the loyalty of customers and how this connects to repeat visitations;

and also marketing techniques including Destination Marketing Organisations (DMOs) and

image branding.

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2.1 TourismCollectively, the travel and tourism sectors form the biggest single industry on a global scale.

(Ghosh, 2011; Ullah et al., 2010; Davenport & Davenport, 2006). Tourism has become one of

the most important industries in the world (Ghosh, 2011), due to its fast growing nature, and

the fact that it provides a significant opportunity for alternative investment (Lo et al., 2014),

particularly in rural areas (Phillips et al., 2013). Tourism development has been found to

benefit communities from economic, environmental and social-cultural perspectives. (Lo et

al., 2014).

The geography of Scotland provides a problem for the tourism industry due to the hilly, loch

prominent nature of the landscape (MacLellan & Smith, 1998). The landscape provides

logistical and infrastructural issues throughout the country in a number of industries; however

the tourism industry has the chance to embrace this by incorporating the landscape into its

tourism product. This could however, also act as a motivator for travel, as visitors are drawn

to the different attributes and characteristics that the destination can offer them over their

home city or country (Aboali & Mohamad, 2012).

Greaves and Skinner (2010, in Artorough & Martin, 2012) recognise that tourists from the

UK may well choose to travel to destinations within the UK to try and keep the costs of a

holiday to a minimum as a result of the global recession. This means that there will be more

competition within the domestic tourism market with the chance to gain significant revenue.

This is why it is also recognised that the benefits of customer loyalty will be greater than ever

due to creating repeat visitors in a heavily contested market place. This is something which

may well find its place in rural Scottish tourism destinations as prominently as any other

destination.

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2.1.1 Rural Tourism

Rural tourism is a type of tourism which is not new, but is currently more popular than it has

ever been (George, 2009). It is often considered to be a niche sector of the tourism industry

(Roberts & Hall, 2001) which has grown in significance, and has begun to thrive recently

(Chuang, 2010), especially within the European Economy (Pena et al., 2011). Rural tourism

can be defined as at least one night away in a setting outside of densely populated or popular

tourist areas, with the aim of experiencing activities which are not readily available in urban

settings (Pesonen et al., 2011)

Rural areas can hold a significant interest for a number of different groups of people who use

the space for a number of different activities (McAreavey & McDonagh, 2011). The use of

the space for different recreational and tourist activities is something that has been happening

on a global scale for a long time (Chuang, 2010). Pesonen et al. (2011), recognise this as

being one of the motivators of rural tourists, along with experiencing the natural world and

finding isolation and harmony within oneself.

Tourism has particular significance in rural areas as it can diversify economies, making rural

communities more robust economically, and offer an alternative investment proposition for

destinations which cannot attract other industries (Panyik et al., 2012; Aboali & Mohamed,

2012; Phillips, et al., 2013). Although this is of significant benefit to the destination, it is not

a simple process for a rural destination to become a thriving tourist destination due to the

complexity of the products and marketing involved in the process (Roberts & Hall 2001).

This is then complicated further due to Lane (1994, in Roberts and Hall, 2001) offering three

distinct categories of rural tourism. The first of these is a set of urban activities which take

place in a rural setting, the second includes activities which cannot take place in an urban

environment and so must take place in a rural setting, and the third is activities which could

take place in either a rural or urban setting.

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2.2 Events in TourismFor destination management organisations throughout the world, a critical aspect of their

work has, in recent years, been the creation of new events and also the attraction of already

existing well-known events (Li et al., 2013; Presenza & Sheehan, 2013). These events have

been used for the benefits which they bring in their own right, which will be described in

more detail, as well as for their use as a marketing tool (Li et al., 2013; Kotler 2006, in

Baptista et al., 2010).

Hosting events in an area can provide a great number of impacts to the host, both positive and

negative. These impacts include the obvious benefits of attracting new visitors to the area,

and increasing the overall number of visitors and revenue through visitor spending (Li et al.,

2013, Presenza & Sheehan, 2013). Other long term benefits for the area may include the

improvement of infrastructure, and increased visitor awareness and media exposure, as well

as decreasing or eliminating the seasonality of a destination. (Li et al., 2013). These benefits

may well be enough for a destination to decide that hosting events is their best option,

however the negative impacts must also be considered to allow for an informed decision. The

negative impacts of hosting events may include financial impacts such as the costs of dealing

with increased levels of litter, and the need for extra members of police and security staff.

There are also impacts which may affect the everyday lives of the residents such as increased

levels of congestion and pollution (Li et al., 2013).

It is extremely important for the host destination to gain an understanding of event and

festival attendees because this understanding can help to predict future behaviours of

attendees, allowing for better planning of events and festivals to take place (Manthiou, 2014).

By gaining this understanding of the attendees and providing a product and service

experience which is acceptable, this will ensure the long term success of these festivals and

events (Manithou, 2014).

Large communities have long used festivals and events to benefit their destination, a

technique which small rural communities are beginning to appreciate as an effective

marketing tool, (Baptista et al., 2010). In rural communities, events play an equally important

role as in any other area; however it is important to retain the stakeholders of an event due to

the fact that experts in the field are fewer in rural areas. These stakeholders also include the

customers and attendees, which is why a grasp on customer loyalty and consumer behaviour

are both important aspects to the success of events (Reid, 2011).

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2.3 Repeat Visitations & Customer LoyaltyJacoby and Kyner (1973, in McMullan & Gilmore, 2008), were the first to define customer

loyalty as follows:

“The biased, behavioural response, expressed over time by some decision

making unit, with respect to one or more alternative brands out of a set of such

brands, and is a function of physiological process. “

Khan (2013) defines customer loyalty as a person’s intention to purchase the same product or

service again. Myongjee & Bai (2013) add that the commitment to the organisation is a major

factor alongside the intention to repurchase. In addition, Mao (2010) postulates that customer

loyalty is the intention to repurchase, and is driven by customers believing that the product is

superior to other similar products which subsequently leads them to provide favourable

reviews of the organisation. Indeed, McKercher et al. (2012) suggest that loyalty is a contract

of sorts, whereby the consumer provides the organisation with their own and others’ business

in return for preferential treatment from the organisation. However, Szczepanska & Gawron

(2011) offer a slightly different perspective; they believe that customer loyalty is less

concerned with repurchase or revisit intentions, but with the feelings and attitudes of the

customer towards the brand, product or destination. As tourism is a complex product which

includes providers as well as organisations involved with the wider destination marketing and

management, McKercher at al. (2012) note that consumers not only form feelings and

attitudes towards individual providers but also with destinations. This complexity can make

it difficult to identify the most important motivating factors due to the fact that any

combination or individual factors can result in the customer behaving in a certain way

(Williams, 2002). This can make it difficult to improve negative motivating factors, which is

important as Pratminginsih et al. (2014) suggest that motivation is the key responsibility for

all behavioural decisions, leading to a person acting in a certain way.

Specific to the tourism industry, repeat visitors and loyal customers are those who return to a

destination or attraction and use the same service provider to do so (Pratminingsih et al.,

2014). The importance of customer loyalty is an area which has received much academic

interest as it is difficult for an organisation surviving without loyal customers. In addition, the

increasing competition in most sectors, including tourism. There are a number of reasons for

the importance of customer loyalty including the decreasing industry growth and increasing

competition in most sectors, meaning that more organisations are focusing on creating loyal

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customers; and also the difficulty of an organisation surviving without loyal customers

(Alazzam & Bach, Myongjee & Bai, 2013; Setó-Pamies, 2012; Ramanathan & Ramanathan,

2011; Mao, 2010).

However, McKercher et al. (2012) suggest that loyalty is not possible to achieve in some

industries, such as the travel and tourism industry, due to the consumers’ desire to travel.

They suggest that the closest that organisations in this industry may be able to get is to

achieve customer satisfaction, which traditionally is measured as intention to revisit.

However, the authors accept this is not an accurate measure as intentions do not always turn

into actions (McKercher et al., 2012). Customer or consumer satisfaction is defined as the

level of positive feelings which an experience brings (Phillips et al., 2014). It is also

suggested that specifically in the tourism industry, satisfaction is the level of enjoyment

brought to the tourist by the destination and the travel entailed in reaching the destination

(Phillips et al., 2014). This links in with the complexity of the tourism product as it is

comprised of a number of important elements and identifying which element has had the

greatest positive or negative impact on the customer can be difficult.

It has been found that customer satisfaction on its own is not a strong enough factor to turn

the customer into a loyal or repeat customer (Fraering & Minor, 2013; Kim, 2011).

Ramanathan & Ramanathan (2011) offer the idea that there are two main factors which affect

the loyalty of a customer; the like and desire of the product and the availability of

alternatives. Zeithmal et al. (2006), suggest that the main factors which influence loyalty are

“the cost of changing brands; the availability of substitutes; social ties to the company and the

perceived risk associated with the purchase”, along with the customer’s satisfaction.

One of the main reasons for the study of repeat visits is that tourists are more likely to bring

an increase in revenue to a destination both directly and indirectly from friends and family

(Pratminingsih et al., 2014), they also bring the extra revenues of associated secondary

products, such as upgrades and excursions (Setó-Pamies, 2012). The spending pattern of

loyal customers is such that they are likely to spend more than new customers, providing

greater revenue for the destination (Myongjee & Bai, 2013).

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2.4 Destination Image & MarketingMarketing in the tourism industry involves having a thorough understanding of the specific

market segment that is of interest, as each different segment will have slightly different trends

that affect the market specifically (Stone, 1990 in Dibb & Simkin, 2013). The significance of

this is to allow the organisation to better understand their customers, and ultimately provide

them with a more satisfying product and service (Dibb & Simkin, 2013), a critical part of the

success of an organisation (Middleton, 2001).

2.4.1 Destination Image: What it is

Destination image is an incredibly important element for a tourist destination, as a destination

is more likely to attract visitors if the perceptions of the place are good (Pratminingsih et al.,

2014). As a result of this, it has long been regarded as a key aspect of creating and

maintaining a successful and competitive tourism destination (Soteriades, 2012). It has been

identified as a crucial element of identifying influences and behavioural intentions of tourists.

It can be defined as the perceptions of any singular destination that a consumer has (Phillips

et al., 2014).

The main purpose of destination branding is to increase the revenue gathered in a destination

(Campello et al., 2013). Campello et al. (2013) believe that ‘place branding’ and ‘destination

image’ are interchangeable terms, due to the fact that the destination is embedded in the place

and cannot be removed. However, Kerr (2006, in Kozak & Baloglu, 2011) disagrees; he

believes that destination is concerned with only the tourism related aspects of destination;

offering ‘place branding’ as an all-encompassing term relating to the economic and social

development of a destination and not just the tourism industry within the destination.

For the purpose of the tourism industry, destination branding is used to identify and create the

image which the destination wishes to deliver, and then conveys this to potential visitors and

customers (Campello et al., 2013). However, one of the issues with place branding is that it

can be difficult to change a person’s perceptions, regardless of the activities and tactics used

(Morgan et al., 2013).

The creation of the destination brand is in itself one of the most challenging parts of such a

project. Thought must be given to the main facilities and characteristics which are to be

promoted to form the destination image. If insufficient thought is given to this selection

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process then the wrong image could unintentionally be portrayed to potential customers

resulting in the wrong market being reached (Campello et al., 2013).

There is much agreement on the basic steps of creating a destination brand. It is widely

accepted that there are four main steps in the process. The first step is to explore the current

brand and evaluate its effectiveness. The second step is to create an identity for the

destination that highlights and emphasises the main characteristics and attractions of the

destination. The third step is to implement the brand into practice and communicate it to

potential visitors and consumers. The final step is to measure and evaluate the level of

success which the new brand identity has brought to the destination (Kozak & Baloglu,

2011).

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2.4.2 Destination Image: Who is Involved

The purpose of the marketer is to appeal to the specific customers who are being targeted in

an attempt to show them the value and benefits of the product (Glavor & Koncul, 2012). One

way in which this can be done is by the marketer trying to gain an understanding of the

customer which they are trying to sell their products to. This understanding can lead to

greater customer satisfaction with both the product and also with the supplier (Stone, 1990 in

Dibb & Simkin, 2013)

One such marketer could be a Destination Marketing Organisation (DMO). A DMO is a

collection of organisations and stakeholders who work together to promote and market a

destination to potential visitors (Buhalis, 2000, in Artorough & Martin, 2012). Creating the

brand and image of a destination is usually done by the various stakeholders in the

destination. They are the ones who know how they want their destination to be perceived by

potential and existing visitors. However, place branding is still one of the key responsibilities

of a DMO (Artorough & Martin, 2012), as they are responsible for implementing and

maintaining the image of the destination (Morgan et al., 2011).

In a wider context, the role of the DMO is to promote and market the area with the purpose of

attracting a number of parties which will provide investment and revenue for the area and the

stakeholders involved. This is done by an increase in visitor numbers and the hosting of

events (Kotler et al., 1993, in Hanna & Rowley, 2013). It is a level of collaboration which is

vital to the success of a DMO as the effective partnership of public and private sector

organisations should allow a seamless transition between policies and practice for marketing

and branding (Harwood, 2009).

An example of the partnerships and collaborations needed for successfully sustaining a

tourism destination can be found in the coastal town of Southport, England. In 2009 a

partnership of various different stakeholders within the area combined to create a new brand

and strategy for the town as a tourist destination. Some of the stakeholders involved in the

project included experts and staff from hotels, restaurants, transport providers,

accommodation, retail stores and local government agencies, each bringing their own

expertise to help with different aspects of the project. This helps to show the full scale of

stakeholders from various different organisations needed to successfully attempt such a

project (Morgan et al., 2011). Soteriades (2012) recognises that tourists expect a service from

17

destinations which include a number of elements from different organisations, hence why

collaboration and partnership are so important in the tourism industry.

The importance of collaboration and partnership within the industry is something which

cannot be ignored, yet it can also pose a significant problem. The very nature of contributing

resources and ideas to a shared goal or project can lead to certain people or organisations

within the partnership feeling that their individual needs are not being met by project. This

can lead to an unequal sharing of the project responsibilities and resources (Shama &

Kearins, 2010, in Artorough & Martin, 2012, and Panyik et al., 2011).

18

2.5 Summary of ChapterThis review has raised a number of key points which the primary research will look to

address to either find similarities or discrepancies with the existing literature for repeat

visitations in a rural tourism setting. Consideration has been given to the importance of

tourism in rural settings, and also how this can be linked to the use of events in the area. It

has been found that events can be used to aid tourism in rural areas, and in turn, this can then

aid the economy of the rural area.

The importance of these events in the creation of repeat and loyal visitors has also been

established, with the work of DMOs being highlighted as a key factor in this activity. It has

also been acknowledged that understanding the event participants is key to their continued

success as the organisers can look to address the needs and wants of these people more

effectively if they understand who they are. These elements will be explored through the

primary research which will be conducted

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Chapter 3-Methodology

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3.0 Introduction to ChapterThe purpose of this chapter is to determine, and provide information on, the research methods

and techniques which will be used to conduct the primary research in support of this

dissertation project. It will also provide consideration of the different methods which could be

used, and justification of the chosen methods. Essentially, this chapter gives a framework and

outline of the primary research.

The chapter will be broken down into a number of smaller sections which will each have a

different focus and purpose. There will be sections detailing the methods of collection which

will be used; the type of data this will collect; and the limitations of the research conducted in

this project amongst other areas.

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3.1 Research PhilosophyIt has previously been shown that a large proportion of research on the tourism industry is

conducted on the basis that people are interested in finding out more about the industry, and

not because there is a need to explore it which will directly benefit the tourism industry

(Veal, 2006). Therefore, it is hoped that the findings presented will inform the industry,

whilst also providing interest to the researcher.

The research project that will be undertaken will attempt to gain an insight into the views of

the respondents, and the reasons for the actions which are taken in response to specific

situations and scenarios, and also the justifications of particular behaviour. Therefor an

interpretive approach will be adopted as this is most suited to this type of research (Veal,

2006). This approach will allow for the study to regard each respondent as an individual with

differing views (Saunders et al., 2012).

The belief behind this philosophy is that it is a necessity for the researcher to try to

acknowledge and understand the differing views of individuals with different backgrounds

and interests (Saunders et al., 2012).

The research which is to be conducted in this dissertation should be classed as ‘applied

research’ the reason for this is that existing research and studies will be applied to the

particular problem which is the focus of this study. This will allow for a deeper understanding

to be gained in the particular area of interest, in this case that is the use of events as a

marketing tool which is used as a driver for repeat visitations in a rural area (Veal, 2006).

22

3.2 Research StrategyThe strategy, or design, of a project is an incredibly important part of the research project. It

is used to help create a framework and plan for the project, this is used to help make the

process easier to manage, and thus making the process more easily achievable (Wilson,

2010).

This research project will follow an exploratory design. This is due to the lack of existing

material which is available on the topic for the selected area of Campbeltown (Wilson, 2010;

Sekeran & Bougie, 2013). For these reasons, exploratory research can be considered an

acceptable and viable strategy for use on this project. The main reason for using this design is

to allow for an insight to be gained into the particular issue being researched (Wilson, 2010).

Due to the time constraints of the project, this will allow a set of hypotheses and

generalisations about the respondents of the questionnaires to be made. These will be drawn

from the answers given by the respondents. This will then allow conclusions to be drawn in

an educated and calculated manner from the information gathered (Wilson, 2010).

23

3.3 Research MethodsIn order to complete this research project fully a combination of both primary and secondary

research methods will be implemented to collect the appropriate data required.

It has been decided that due to the nature of the research required, a questionnaire will be

administered in order to try and cover all aspects of research which will be needed. This

method of research is an example of primary research, and will be collected first-hand by the

researcher, with the specific purpose of fulfilling the needs of this dissertation in mind

(Wilson, 2010).

As part of the primary research that will be conducted questionnaires will be used. A

questionnaire is a data collection method which is formed by a number of questions, which

are then answered by the respondents. This can be used to great effect when the design of the

questionnaire is well thought out with the inclusion of both qualitative and quantitative

questions (Wilson, 2010; Sekeran & Bougie, 2013).

As with any method of research there are a number of advantages and disadvantages to using

a questionnaire as a data collection tool. The first advantage is the relatively low cost of

administering the questionnaire and gathering the data which will be provided. This is

something which is especially prominent in this research project as the questionnaire itself

will be created and administered using the ‘Survey Monkey’ platform, and will be distributed

on a select number of organisations’ ‘Facebook’ pages. This has been decided as it will allow

for a large number of potential respondents to be reached from a wide geographical range

(Sekeran & Bougie, 2013), and will also minimise the cost of conducting the research. The

second advantage of using this collection method is the ability to collect consistent

information, which is easily collated. This is due to every respondent being asked the exact

same set of questions (Wilson, 2010; Sekeran & Bougie, 2013).

There are disadvantages to using this method, but in this case they are outweighed by the

positives. This first of these is the impersonal nature of conducting questionnaires. This will

be apparent in this research project due to the distribution method which will be used. This

will not necessarily affect every respondent as it is only really an issue if there are any

problems or misunderstandings with the questions being asked. The issue is that the

researcher is not available to clarify any of these issues. This could mean that a false response

may be given, or questions may be skipped completely. Another issue which can affect

questionnaires is effectively designing and creating a questionnaire which will ask the

24

appropriate questions to provide adequate data relating to the research problem (Wilson,

2010). One final disadvantage of using questionnaires, specifically electronic versions, is the

low response rate, meaning that it can be difficult to draw accurate and educated hypotheses

and conclusions (Sekeran & Bougie, 2013).

In order to determine the method of sampling which will be used the target population must

first be identified. The population is all of the people which are important to the research. The

sample is then determined from this, it is just some of the population which has been

determined. The sample is then used to form generalised ideas about the whole population

(Sekeran & Bougie, 2013).

Nonprobability sampling will be used for the questionnaire, due to the distribution channels

which will be used. This will be used because there will be an equal chance for all of the

respondents to answer the questionnaire. In essence, the respondents will not be hand-picked

to answer the questionnaire. However, the respondents will be targeted based on a criteria,

they must have visited the area at least once, and cannot be a current resident. For this reason

purposive sampling will be the preferred method (Sekeran & Bougie, 2013). Specific and

carefully selected organisations will share a link to the questionnaire on their Facebook pages

and email it to their mailing list, allowing for a specific and targeted sample to be reached.

The organisations which have been chosen all have some interest in creating events in the

area, or promoting the area in general. These organisations have already been contacted and

have all given permission for this to take place.

Following the collection of data from primary sources it is necessary to code the data. This is

when the raw data is organised into categories to turn the data into useable information

(Sekeran & Bougie, 2013). This is a task which is made substantially more efficient through

the use of online survey collection, Survey Monkey, as it removes the need to manually input

data responses onto a computer program.

25

3.4 Research AnalysisThe purpose of analysing the information which is gathered is to allow it to be compared

against the hypotheses which have been created following the secondary research which has

been concluded (Sekeran & Bougie, 2013).

The research method that has been chosen will mean that there will be qualitative data that

must be processed in order to make sense of the responses to questionnaires. Qualitative

research refers to methods and techniques which use and gather qualitative information

(Veal, 2006), in other words, information which is not easily quantified numerically as it is a

person’s own feelings and beliefs. Qualitative methods of researching are often used due to

the belief that the person being questioned is an expert in their field, and therefor is in the

best place to answer the questions required. This is true for this project in the sense that

people who answer the questionnaire must have visited the area at least once previously.

Once data has been gathered from questionnaire responses it is then coded and edited. The

coding of responses involves each respondent being assigned an individual number, this way

all of the individual responses remain separate and readable in its entirety (Sekeran &

Bougie, 2013). This is a task which will be made easier through the use ‘Survey Monkey’.

Survey Monkey provides an overview of each individual question asked and each set of

answers from respondents. This will allow for links to be made between the people who

answer questions similarly, allowing the researcher to easily identify other similarities and

differences between respondents. Survey Monkey also displays a variety of graphs, charts

and tables allowing for easy interpretation of all responses.

Quantitative data, and other types of data, can be shown through the use of a number of

different types of graphs and charts. This makes it easier to understand the results and find

patterns between different sets of results. After the results are illustrated by the graphs and

charts, the results’ patterns and correlations can be described in two main ways. The first of

these is called measuring central tendencies, used to generalise the bulk of results. The other

method is called measuring dispersion, this is used to describe the anomalies and exceptions

found in the results that have been collected (Wilson, 2010).

26

3.5 Research LimitationsThere are a number of limitations which will be faced during the undertaking of this research

project. Some of these limitations will originate from the researcher and some will be out

with the control of the researcher.

The first of these, and possibly the most notable, issues that must be considered is the time

constraints surrounding the project. There is a finite amount of time available to complete and

submit the dissertation, set by the deadline which is controlled by the university. As a result,

careful and thorough planning must be put in place to discipline the time spent on each

section of the dissertation in order to allow appropriate time to complete the project to a

satisfactory standard.

The second limitation which may be faced in the research process is the difficulty of

conducting the online questionnaire. This can lead to people being confused by questions and

answering incorrectly due to a misunderstanding. The researcher will aim to minimise this by

providing an email address which can be used to contact the researcher with any queries or

additional information. The lack of personal contact with the researcher could also lead to

respondents answering the questionnaire in an incomplete or ‘half-hearted’ manner.

One further limitation which will affect this project, particularly because of the use of online

surveys is the low response rate which can be expected. Traditionally, questionnaire surveys

see a relatively low response rate compared to the number of people which they are

distributed to. This can be increased due to the fact that people may not check their emails or

social media on a daily basis so may not be aware of the survey.

27

3.6 Research EthicsIt is the responsibility of the researcher to ensure that any research conducted must be done in

an honest and accurate way (Wilson, 2010). This is controlled by the university through the

use of a code of ethics, which includes a form which must be signed by the dissertation

supervisor to ensure that everything is done in an ethical manner.

Thought and consideration must be given to a number of key elements throughout the

research process, the first of these being data protection. It must be ensured that all

information gathered is relevant to the purpose for which it is gathered; must be held

confidentially and securely for no longer than is necessary; and must be used fairly and

accurately in the context in which it was gathered. This is a prerequisite as set by the UK

Government in regards to any information that is gathered for any purpose (UK Government,

2014).

All of the participants must be briefed on the nature of the research and what their responses

will be used for. Participants must also be informed of how to complete the questionnaire,

with extra information and advice being given wherever necessary.

28

Chapter 4- Findings and Discussion

29

4.0 Introduction to ChapterIn this chapter of the dissertation, an analysis will present the information collected and

collated which has been gathered through the use of primary data gathering techniques. For

the purpose of this research project an online questionnaire, distributed through social media

groups on ‘Facebook’ was used as the primary method of gathering data. Following the

collection of data, analysis was carried out, identifying patterns and anomalies within the

information.

Any responses from residents of Campbeltown and its surrounding areas and villages were

discarded from the study, as the focus was on visitors to the area, so as not to skew the results

unfairly.

In this chapter there will be two main sections emerging; the first is the findings section. This

is simply when the raw data is presented and described to the reader. The second part is the

discussion, where the findings are considered in more depth and explanation of the

information is provided, with the author’s thoughts being clear throughout the discussion as

opinions are given on the information which has been found and how this relates to the

findings of the literature review.

30

4.1 BackgroundThe survey (see Appendix A) which was developed was made publicly available on the 25 th

of February 2015 through the Facebook page ‘Explore Campbeltown’. The survey was closed

on the 5th of March 2015, as sufficient and satisfactory number of responses was achieved,

and also due to the fact that the response rate was starting to slow down, suggesting that the

majority of potential respondents had already completed the survey.

In addition, the questionnaire was forwarded on the 3rd of March to MOKrun, who distributed

the questionnaire to their electronic mailing list for the MOKRun. The MOKRun is a half

marathon and 10K race which takes place in the town every year.

Finally, the group ‘Campbeltown Christmas Lights’ was also due to share the survey on their

Facebook page; however this did not take place.

The reason for the choice of the specific distribution channels was that the questionnaire

needed to reach people who had previously visited the area to attend an event, but not be

current residents of the area. It was not a feasible option to visit the area due to time

constraints and the timing of events. To overcome this it made best sense to distribute the

questionnaire through existing channels, allowing for a wider audience to be reached as well

as maximising the likelihood of collecting acceptable and useable data. It was reasoned that

by using a tourism page which advertises events and attractions in the area, and through the

mailing list of an event in the area, this would provide the highest success ratio.

The purpose of the questionnaire was to establish an awareness of the number of people who

revisit the area following a previous visit to the area for the purpose of attending an event.

This would allow for a baseline to be established that could then be used to offer

recommendations to help increase the number of repeat visitations based on past experience

from visiting the area for events.

31

4.2 FindingsBefore the findings are discussed and analysed it should be noted that there was a total of

ninety-one responses to the survey. It should also be noted that eleven of these responses

were discarded as the respondents were either residents of the area or failed to specify where

they lived in Scotland. This meant that these responses were invalid as they could potential

skew the research. In total seventy nine acceptable responses were used for analysis.

Simple demographic questions were the first two questions to be asked of the respondents.

The reason for this was to establish who visits the events in question, allowing the researcher

to recognise which events are more likely to attract which people. The first question asked

about gender, and the second asked about age range. These questions will be grouped

together to show the trends identified over the two genders as well as age range.

Age

Ran

ge o

f Res

pond

ent Gender of Respondent

Male Female Total

16-24 4 (5%) 3 (4%) 7 (9%)25-34 4 (5%) 6 (8%) 10 (13%)35-44 7 (9%) 10 (13%) 17 (22%)45-54 8 (10%) 14 (18%) 22 (28%)55-64 6 (8%) 10 (13%) 16 (20%)

65 or older 3 (4%) 4 (5%) 7 (9%)Total 32 (41%) 47 (59%) 79

Table 4.1- Age and Gender of Respondents

As can be seen in Table 4.1 there was a total of 32 (41%) male and 47 (59%) female

respondents. When this is considered along with the ages of the respondents, it can be seen

that there are trends starting to emerge regarding the numbers of people visiting the area for

events. The data produced shows a trend that the majority of respondents (70%) were

between the ages of 35 and 64 are the most likely to visit the area, with slightly more females

than males.

32

The next question asked the respondents where they lived. Respondents gave a variety of

answers, with respondents answering from a number of locations on a global scale. There

were however trends emerging in the data which was collected.

Where do you live

Argyll & Bute (Exc. Campbeltown and surrounding areas) 7

Glasgow 24

Other Scotland 29

Other UK 9

Europe 1

USA 6

Other (International 3

Table 4.2 Place of Residence

For the purpose of this research the respondents have been grouped together based on where

they reside, moving away from the town which hosts the events, as shown above. This allows

generalisations to be made about the respondents from each geographic location as a whole as

opposed to only having one or two people from a larger number of towns, which would not

be particularly useful for analysis. In categorising the respondents geographically it can be

seen that people from within Scotland are most likely to attend, with Glasgow being the

single biggest contributing town or city. This is then followed with respondents coming from

other countries in the United Kingdom, Europe and also globally, with responses from

residents of Australia, USA, Canada and Tunisia. When this information is considered along

with responses from other questions it was found that a number of people repeatedly travel to

the area to visit family and friends.

33

Age

rang

e of

resp

onde

ntEvents attended

Male Female

MOKFest MOKRun Xmas Lights MOKFest MOKRun Xmas Lights

16-24 3 2 2 2 1 2

25-34 4 1 2 5 2 3

35-44 7 3 3 10 3 2

45-54 5 2 1 11 3 4

55-64 3 2 1 10 0 1

65+ 2 1 1 4 1 1

Total 24 11 10 42 10 13

Table 4.3 Events Attended

By combing the results from the first two questions and then cross referencing them with the

fourth question, asking what events the respondents attend, it allowed for profiles to be built

of the respondents.

As can be seen in the above table, the MOKFest is the most popular event for both men and

women to visit, being more popular with the female respondents. What is also apparent is that

women aged between 35 and 64 are most likely to visit events in the area. However, this may

well be contributed to the fact that there were more females who responded to the survey.

It can also be seen in the results that both the MOKRun and Christmas Lights Switch-on

share similar popularity with both men and women and also across the age ranges. This

suggests that there is no obvious trend to be found in these events as they have similar

numbers of respondents.

34

Question four was one of the most important questions of the survey as it asked the

respondents which events they had visited. This was then combined with the geographical

location of the respondents to find out which people are most likely to visit the events in the

area. A number of the respondents had visited the area on multiple occasions for a number of

different events including a variety of events not listed in the survey. These were provided in

the ‘Other’ box option. The number of people who visit the area for more than one event

helps to provide a clear indication of the number of repeat visitations to the area.

Plac

e of

Res

iden

ce

Number of events attended

1 event 2 events 3 events 4 events +

Argyll 3 1 2 1

Glasgow 12 8 4 3

Other Scotland 19 6 1 0

Other UK 8 0 0 1

Europe 0 0 0 1

USA 5 1 0 0

Other 2 0 0 1

Total 49 16 7 7

Table 4.4- Number of Events Attended

From the results of this question it can easily be seen that a number of the respondents (40%)

had visited the town or area on more than one occasion to attend events. This indicates that

the events themselves do indeed play a role in creating repeat visitations, due to the number

of revisits from respondents. What is also evident from the results of the survey is that the

respondents are more likely to attend multiple events if they have less distance to travel. This

can be seen as twenty six people who reside in Scotland have visited multiple events in the

area. This can be compared with just one person from the rest of the UK making multiple

trips to the area. This helps to give the first indications of importance of events in a rural area

in terms of creating repeat visitors, particularly with domestic visitors. International visitors,

also play an important role, alongside the returning domestic tourists as they may well stay

longer, resulting in opportunities to maximise the revenue that they spend in the area. This

can be found in particular with visitors from the USA and Australia (Visit Scotland, 2011).

35

Question five was another key point in the survey as this asked the respondents if they would

attend the event again, and also the reasons for attending or not attending again. By asking

this it helps to establish the levels of revisit intention as a preliminary for future questions in

the survey, and also helps to identify some of the motivators encouraging people to re-attend

events. This is crucial, as it will help to identify what motivators encouraged people to the

rural town of Campbeltown in particular over other locations or events.

Would you attend the event again? Number of Responses

Yes 76

No 3

Table 4.5- Would you Attend the Event Again

As can be seen in the table, the response to the question was overwhelmingly positive. Only

three of the seventy nine respondents identified that they would not attend the event again.

Reasons mentioned by the respondents included the dates of the events did not line up

adequately with school holidays; Scotland, and the town in particular, being too far to travel

to specifically to attend these events; and the MOK Run being so popular that it is fully

booked too far in advance to allow proper planning to take place. The issues which have been

raised may be worthy of consideration by the event organisers to rectify the problems

identified, as at present people who are not likely to attend the events again are not

necessarily doing so for negative reasons.

With seventy six respondents saying they would visit again, it is important to try and

understand why, hence the second part of this question. Given that Campbeltown is a small,

rural town on the West coast of Scotland which is not easily accessible for a large number of

people, it was assumed that many respondents would be returning to the area simply to visit

family and friends that live in the area. This was true to some extent with sixteen respondents

citing this as a reason; however it was not as overwhelming as originally thought. In fact

thirty of the responses stated that reasons related to the fun or enjoyment of attending the

event would encourage them back to it. After this, the main reasons cited included answers

based around the friendliness of the other attendees and residents, which contribute to a

welcoming and friendly atmosphere in the area with thirty two responses across this category.

Following this, the responses become more sporadic with the number of each different reason

dropping. However, there were still notable and important reasons such as the good

organisation and running of the event; the family friendliness; the culture of the area; support

36

of the local community; good bands/artists at the event; offering something different to other

events; the scenery; and having property in the area as being their main motivations to return.

‘Have you revisited the area?’ was the next question which was asked. Again this was a

crucial question in the survey as its sole purpose was to establish the level of existing repeat

visitations to the area, as, as stated in the literature review, intention to revisit does not

automatically convert into repeat visitations.

Plac

e of

Res

iden

ce

Have you revisited the area since the event?

Yes No

Argyll 5 2

Glasgow 21 3

Other Scotland 24 4

Other UK 9 0

Europe 1 0

USA 5 1

Other 1 2

Total 66 12

Skipped 1

Table 4.6- Have you Revisited the Area

This gives a clear answer to the level of repeat visits in the area as people have visited the

area as well as attending at least one event, thereby becoming a repeat visitor to the area.

Sixty six of the respondents answered yes to this question, showing that the events and the

area itself are already drawing a substantial level of repeat visitors. However, with twelve

respondents having not revisited the area, with one person skipping the question, it shows that

there will always be room for improvement.

The main reason for people to return to the area was to visit family and friends in the area,

with thirty one people stating this as a reason for return. This is significantly higher than the

number of people who stated this as a reason for re-attending the event. This is something

that may be explained by the fact that people may not wish to travel to the area during busy

times, such as during events and festivals, if they can visit at other less busy times of the area.

Behind this, reasons for return include holidaying in the area; holiday or family property; to

work; and also to generally enjoy spending time in the area.

37

Rural areas can be used for a number of different activities by different groups of people

(McAreavey & McDonagh, 2011), something which is highlighted by the variety of different

events which are hosted in the area. Events in the town cover a range of interests including

sporting and music events. These events have a number of benefits to the area, all of which

are evidenced in the results of the survey. These include the visitor spend from attending the

event; along with the added benefits of re-attending the event, and the area itself; and also the

recommendation of both the event and area to others. This may help increase the visitor

spend in the area as people return and encourage others to visit, a similar conclusion to that of

Pratminingsih et al. (2014), when they suggest a revenue increase from the attendees directly

and indirectly through recommendations is just one of the benefits of loyal customers.

Question seven then looked into the intentions of the respondent to revisit the area. This was

then to be compared with the results of the previous questions to show the difference between

revisit intentions and actual revisits. Unfortunately, this was not the case as a large number of

the respondents either skipped the question or simply referred to the answer that they gave for

the previous question. Due to this apparent confusion, this question will not be taken into

consideration for the results and discussion of this research in the interest of credibility.

Instead, revisit intentions will be found from the persons’ desire to attend the event again,

which was asked as question five.

38

Question eight then asked if the respondent would recommend the event to others. This

would help to establish if loyal customers or attendees offer more than simply repeat

visitations.

Plac

e of

Res

iden

ce

Would you recommend the event to others?

Yes No

Argyll 7 0

Glasgow 22 2

Other Scotland 29 0

Other UK 8 1

Europe 1 0

USA 6 0

Other 3 0

Total 76 3

Table 4.7- Would you Recommend the Event to Others

As can be seen, seventy six people would recommend the events which they have attended.

There were a number of reasons for recommending the festival including the fun and

enjoyment factor of the events; the friendly and welcoming people in the area; the

atmosphere in the area at the time of the event; the scenery of the area; and the events being

well organised. Some of these factors could be generic to any event in any location but the

scenery and atmosphere of the area are specific to the events which are hosted in this area and

cannot be replicated in other locations. It is these very factors which define the individuality

of these events.

With just three respondents stating that they would not recommend the event this shows again

the current success of the events which are organised in the area. As well as this, the reasons

for not recommending the events are not necessarily negative reasons, with no respondent

stating they did not enjoy the events. The negative responses again included suggestions that

the event and area would be too far away to travel to specifically for the event, with a

respondent from Wales citing this as a reason not to recommend the event. The other negative

response was the difficulty of getting a place in the MOK Run, something which was

identified previously.

However, when the negative impact of the remoteness of the town is linked with the positive

impact of the scenic nature of the town this could become a benefit for events, as it could be

39

used as a unique selling point for events such as the MOK Music Festival, as has been done

successfully by other music festivals in Scotland.

Following this, question nine then asked the respondents if they would recommend the area

as a whole. This would be used for the same purpose as the previous question, in establishing

the extra benefits of repeat visitations.

Plac

e of

res

iden

ce

Would you recommend the area to others?

Yes No

Argyll 6 1

Glasgow 23 1

Other Scotland 27 2

Other UK 8 1

Europe 1 0

USA 6 0

Other 3 0

Total 74 5

Table 4.8Would you Recommend the Area to Others

Again, an overwhelmingly positive response was given; with just five of the respondents

stating that they would not recommend the area. However, unlike in previous answers, no

reasons were given as to why they would not recommend the area. It can be assumed that it

would be for similar reasons as those previously stated as the questions all shared similarities.

The final question of the survey asked respondents what other events they attend. This would

help to establish potential competitors of the events held in the area, and also opportunities to

discover what other events are being attended and how they are marketed to the same people.

40

A large number of the respondents answered this question with examples of other events

based in the Campbeltown area, as opposed to events held elsewhere. However, there were

some respondents who give appropriate responses with notable events such as T in The Park,

Edinburgh Festivals, Celtic Connections and Wickerman Festival named amongst other

music events and sporting events. This suggests that the respondents tend to visit similar

events whether they are at home or in other parts of the country. This does not give much

new or additional information over what is already known about the events and festivals

taking place in the town.

41

4.3 DiscussionThe research has raised a number of issues which merit further consideration, and should be

compared to what has been found from the literature review. The first of these is the number

of people who are attending events in the area, especially those who are making multiple trips

to the area. These people have the power to help a rural destination, such as Campbeltown

become more robust in terms of the economy and potential investment in the area, as has

been previously identified by multiple authors (Panyik et al., 2012; Aboali & Mohamed,

2012; Phillips et al., 2013). This becomes even more relevant when this is tied to the fact that

rural areas can hold significant interest for a number of different groups or individuals who

use the area for different activities (McAreavey & McDonagh, 2011), as this can help to

diversify the income of the area as it can come from a wider range of sources. This can be

seen as large numbers of people are attending community style events, sporting events, and

music festivals in the area, the majority of whom can be assumed to be contributing to the

local economy in some way.

In the tourism industry, destination branding is concerned with the identification and creation

of an image which can be portrayed by the destination to potential visitors (Campello et al.,

2013). This is something which can be seen as an opportunity for the area due to the fact that

a large number of the respondents would recommend the area because of its scenery and

beaches. These responses offer the area an opportunity to establish itself as a tourism

destination, as it can provide the area with an idea and image which it can market and sell to

potential visitors to the area. With tourism identified as playing a significant role in any

coastal area (Ghosh, 2011), it is important that Campbeltown fully capitalises on the

opportunities available to them. The scenery and beaches in the area have been identified as

reasons for recommending the area to others. It is this combination of elements which may

give the area an advantage over other areas as it was found during the secondary research that

beaches and scenery are an important part of the tourism market (Ullah et al., 2010), and with

coastal destinations marketing specific elements of their destinations (Ghosh, 2011) this

would create the opportunity of marketing the diversity of Campbeltown’s scenery and

beaches, which may ultimately help to attract a wider spectrum of potential visitors from a

wider market. As noted by McAreavey & McDonagh (2011), these areas can be used for a

number of different activities, with the beaches and scenery being just one of many

possibilities.

42

The good organisation and smooth running of these events was highlighted by some of the

respondents as being a factor leading to revisiting the area. This is something which has been

previously noted as being a key responsibility of DMOs in the pursuit of the success of a

destination (Li et al., 2013; Presenza & Sheehan, 2013).

In order for a destination to make the best use of the attributes that they have in their area, it

is often wise to create a Destination Marketing Organisation, or DMO. The DMO can help

bring together the necessary skills and resources needed to successfully create and market a

specific image or brand which the destination wishes to convey to potential visitors (Buhalis,

2000, in Artorough & Martin, 2012). This could be something which the area could expand

on, given the large number of people who would recommend the area based on the scenery.

Customer loyalty and repeat visitations have been the focus of much of the research within

this dissertation. It has been found that the events in the area of Campbeltown do indeed

attract and retain loyal customers. This can be found as Khan (2013) suggests that loyal

customers are those who intend to repeat the experience of a product or service, something

which has been found to be overwhelmingly true in the case of Campbeltown, as a vast

majority of the respondents have either already revisited the area and events, or intend to do

so in the future. The loyalty of the visitors to the area can also be confirmed by the fact that

the vast majority of these repeat visitors would recommend either the area or event,

something which Mao (2010) has suggested as being a key element of loyal customers.

When this is considered alongside the fact that many of the visitors stated the fun or

enjoyment associated with being involved with the event or area, feelings which could be

interpreted as satisfaction, it can be seen that customer or visitor loyalty and repetition can

come from these factors on their own or combined with others. This is an observation which

is in contrast with the thoughts of authors who have previously stated that satisfaction is not a

strong enough factor on its own to create repeat visitors (Fraering & Minor, 2013; Kim,

2011). This can also be linked to the difficulty of identifying and differentiating between

particular motivating factors for repeat visitations, as noted by Williams (2002). However,

the results of this study show that the enjoyment of the event was enough to encourage

visitors back to the area. An opposing stance has previously been taken by McKercher et al.

(2012) when he suggests that in some industries, such as travel and tourism, it is not possible

to achieve customer loyalty. However, given the number of people who have revisited the

43

area and who would recommend the area, both of which are attributed with loyalty, the

results of the study would suggest that this is not true in this case.

This also goes some way to suggesting that Ramanthan & Ramanthan (2011) may have been

incorrect, in this case at least, when they considered that there are two main factors involved

in creating loyal visitors; the like and desire of the product and the availability of alternatives.

Given that a number of the visitors who have travelled from outwith the area to the event, and

have subsequently revisited the area, it would seem that it could be assumed that there would

be alternatives available to these visitors closer to their place of residence, particularly those

travelling from other countries to attend events in the area. Of course, this may be for a

number of different reasons including the presence of family and friends in the area, which is

a frequent response given by those who have repeatedly visited the area.

44

Chapter 5-Conclusions and

Recommendations

45

5.0 Introduction to ChapterThe purpose of this final chapter is to identify the conclusions which can be made in relation

to the research project as a whole based on the research which has been conducted. This will

be done by suggesting the main points which have been deduced from the research project in

the form of conclusions. These will also be related to the research objectives which were set

at the beginning of this project.

The second part of this chapter will comprise of suggested recommendations. These will be

made in relation to three key areas. The first is recommendations which could be used to

improve the focus of the study. In this case that is repeat visitations in the area of

Campbeltown; therefor these recommendations will pertain to what the organisations in the

area can do to increase repeat visitations. The second area will focus on improving and

refining the research which was undertaken during the study. The third and final area is

recommendations related to what improvements could be made to further the success of any

future studies on the area, or alternative topics which may merit further exploration based on

the findings of this project. In doing all of the above, the dissertation project will see cyclical

closure, as the outcomes of the project are considered against the original rationale, aims and

objectives of the project. It is hoped that the fact that this dissertation has been successful has

proved to be a contribution to the practice of marketing tourist destinations, both in terms of

this case study and also for the practice in general terms, in that it has successfully proved

that events and festivals can be used effectively as a tool for marketing, thereby helping to

increase the number of repeat visitations to an area.

46

5.1 Conclusions The first of the conclusions which can be drawn is related to the overall success of the

project, which can be seen as successful. This is due to the fact that all of the research

objectives have been met throughout the course of the dissertation, leading to the project

successfully meeting the overall aim of the project. This has meant that there are a number of

conclusions to draw from the research and the results of the study undertaken. The first

conclusion is that it would appear that events and festivals do indeed play a key role in the

effective marketing of a rural tourism destination. This can then be followed by the results of

the survey suggesting that events and festivals as a marketing tool can indeed help to increase

repeat visitations to a destination based on the number of people who had identified

themselves as repeat visitors.

47

5.2 Aims and objectivesObjective 1: To critically review the existing literature surrounding the chosen topic to

identify gaps in the research.

This objective has been met during the Literature Review stage of the dissertation, evidenced

during chapter two of this project. This particular objective has shown that there are

discrepancies between some of the existing literature and what has been found as a result of

analysing the secondary research stage of the project. This can be seen as certain parts of the

results of the survey do not conform to some of the ideas which are portrayed in the literature

which has been reviewed.

Objective 2: To identify and evaluate the most used marketing and customer retention

techniques to see if they would be suitable for use in the area of Campbeltown.

This objective has been met as part of the Literature Review chapter. It was identified that

DMOs are a key element of the marketing of a destination. Along with this, identifying key

characteristics and attributes of the area which can be marketed as an image or brand are also

crucial elements. These two combine as the marketing of the destination image is a key part

of the work done by any DMO. This has then been considered further in the primary research

stage of the dissertation as respondents have identified the main reasons for their repeated

visits to the area. This identified that scenery, amongst other things, was a key motivator for

revisiting and recommending the area, something which can be used by the DMOs to market

the area and help to retain and gain customers.

Objective 3: To create and distribute a suitable questionnaire aimed at participants of

selected events held in Campbeltown, which will provide useful insight into the events

which are currently being visited and the reasons for this.

In order to meet this objective a simple ten question survey was created, starting with

demographic questions to help identify who is visiting the events in the area, as well as

questions related to the events which are held in the area, to help identify which events are

most popular as well as the views and opinions which the respondents have on the events.

The next part of the questionnaire then asked the respondents to identify if they would return

to the area and event, and also if they would recommend the area and event. This helped to

identify the satisfaction and loyalty levels which people have with the event and also the area

in general.

48

Objective 4: To identify and contact local organisations, committees and individuals

which are best placed to distribute the questionnaire to people who visit events in the

area

To distribute the questionnaire appropriately it was sent to two key contacts in the town, the

first being Explore Campbeltown, which is an organisation which draws together

organisations of all kinds in the area to promote the area and advertise upcoming events. The

survey was then shared on the ‘Facebook’ page of Explore Campbeltown in order to

maximise the number of visitors who would be able to see and complete the survey. The

second contact was a key organiser of the MOKRun. Again, the survey was sent and was

subsequently distributed to the MOKRun mailing list. This allowed for visitors to the area to

complete the survey. A third contact had been identified, but due to the substantial number of

people who had already successfully completed the survey it was decided that it would not be

necessary to use this source for further distribution.

Objective 5: To suggest recommendations which are achievable and realistic, based on

an evaluation of both primary and secondary sources of research, and will serve the

organisations and committees which organise events in the area for the successful

delivery of future events.

This objective has been met through consideration of the events in the area throughout the

entirety of this project. By keeping this objective relevant throughout the initial review of the

literature, the primary research which has been conducted and also in the conclusions which

have been drawn and the recommendations which have been made it has allowed for

successful completion of this objective.

49

5.3 RecommendationsRecommendation 1: Focus of Study-

Based on the primary and secondary research which has been conducted, the first

recommendation to be suggested is for the organisations in the area which organise and plan

the events in the area. For the MOK Run, it was suggested by survey respondents that the

difficulty in gaining late entry to the event made it difficult to plan far enough ahead to

successfully acquire entry for the event. One way in which this could be remedied would be

to hold two rounds of entry. One of these would be the bulk of the places made available at

the normal time, with a small number of tickets being held back for a later date. The

remaining entry spaces could then be released closer to the event as ‘last chance’ entries,

allowing people who would not normally be able to attend the event due to commitment

issues the chance to review their other commitments and still have the chance of getting a

place in the event.

For the MOK Music Festival, it can be suggested that they look at the possibility of hosting at

least some of the elements of the event on or around some of the beaches in the area. Given

the fact that a number of the respondents suggested the beaches and coastline as reasons for

returning to or recommending the area this could help to make the event a more ‘immersive

experience’, and would possibly encourage more people to attend the event, ultimately

generating more income for the local economy. In doing this however, the focus of the event

may have to change to appeal to a specifically chosen target market, selecting the bands and

artists, as well as other entertainment elements to suit the tastes of the target market.

Recommendation 2: Fieldwork-

In order to make the research which was conducted more conclusive a bigger sample size

should be used. This would enable more accurate conclusions to be drawn from the primary

research as there would be a bigger number of respondents to overcome any anomalies or

invalid responses. A further recommendation for improvement could be to make the focus of

the research more specific, in selecting one event in the area to study. This would allow for

more in-depth analysis of the specific event which has been chosen to be made about the

area. In doing this the event could be analysed for the effects which it has on the area, this

would allow for all of the effects which an event can have to be studied relative to the area,

allowing for the study of other effects such as the social impacts to also be considered for the

residents of the area as well as the visitors to the area.

50

Recommendation 3: Further Areas of Study-

Given the success of this research project, it should be suggested that a similar study be

undertaken, with the focus being on another similarly rural or coastal tourism destination in

Scotland or somewhere else in the UK. This would help to clarify if the town of

Campbeltown is an exceptional example of such a destination or if it is on par with other

areas in terms of attracting repeat visitors. An alternative for further study could be to keep

the area of focus on Campbeltown, and consider other marketing techniques instead of events

and festivals. This would allow for further analysis of the success of marketing Campbeltown

as a coastal or rural tourist destination.

51

5.4 Limitations of DissertationAlthough this dissertation project has been successful there have been some issues which

have been faced during the undertaking of the project. Time constraints have been the main

issue faced throughout the project. This has affected most aspects of the projects including

the extent to which the literature could be explored and reviewed; the time which the survey

could be left to gather responses; and the overall writing and completion of the project. This

has been overcome through extensive planning of each chapter and element of the

dissertation which has meant that everything has been conducted as quickly and efficiently as

possible whilst dealing with the time constraints.

Another limitation which has been met in the dissertation is the fact that the project and

primary research has not been conducted during the peak tourism season, or during the

hosting of the events which have been specified. This would have allowed for face to face

questionnaires or interviews to be conducted with visitors to the area whilst they were

attending events, and possibly giving more accurate answers as any issues with questions

could be clarified by the researcher, as well as allowing for follow up questions to be asked

dependent on the responses given. This has been overcome by utilising social media and

mailing lists of key contacts in the area, allowing for a suitable alternative to be put in place.

52

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Appendices58

Appendix A- Example of Questionnaire

1. What is your gender?

Female

Male

59

Prefer not to say

2. What is your age?

16 to 24

25 to 34

35 to 44

45 to 54

55 to 64

65 or older

* 3. Where do you live?

* 4. Which event(s) have you previously visited the area to attend?

MOK Music Festival

MOK Run (10K and Half Marathon)

Campbeltown Christmas Weekend and Lights 'Switch On'

Other (please specify)

* 5. Would you attend the event again and why?

Yes

No

Reasons for attending/ not attending

6. Have you revisited the area since the event and why?

Yes

No

60

Reasons for return

7. Do intend to revisit the area and why?

Yes

No

Reasons for return/not returning

* 8. Would you recommend the event to others, and why?

Yes

No

Reasons why/why not

* 9. Would you recommend the area to others, and why?

Yes

No

Reasons why/why not

* 10. What other events do you attend?

Appendix B- Sample of Questionnaire Results

Q1: What is your gender?

Female

Q2: What is your age?

35 to 44

61

Q3: Where do you live?

Melbourne, Florida

Q4: Which event(s) have you previously visited the area to attend?

MOK Music Festival

MOK Run (10K and Half Marathon)

Q5: Would you attend the event again and why?

Yes

Reasons for attending/ not attending Very well organised and entertaining. Plenty for all ages and stages to enjoy!

Q6: Have you revisited the area since the event and why?

Yes

Reasons for return Visiting family

Q7: Do intend to revisit the area and why?

Reasons for return/not returning Visiting family and hopefully attending some local events

Q8: Would you recommend the event to others, and why?

Yes

Reasons why/why not It is quite different for other events outside the area, epecially as it has a personal, intimate feel to it.

Q9: Would you recommend the area to others, and why?

Yes

Reasons why/why not I invite others to the area to enjoy a small community feel and the entertainment is first class!

Q10: What other events do you attend?

Whatever is happening during my visit within Kintyre. Highland Games, Family style events.

Q1: What is your gender?

Female Q2: What is your age?

35 to 44 Q3: Where do you live? GlasgowQ4: Which event(s) have you previously visited the area to attend?

MOK Music Festival MOK Run (10K and Half Marathon)

62

Other (please specify) MOK bike and MOK tri

Q5: Would you attend the event again and why?

Yes Reasons for attending/ not attending It

was good last time. I'd not attend the MOK run as it usually fills up very fast 5 months before it takes place. Often by this time, people have often changed their plans and can no longer attend. I like the other events more and really enjoyed the MOK tri last year.

Q6: Have you revisited the area since the event and why?

Yes Reasons for return My parents live in

Campbeltown. Q7: Do intend to revisit the area and why?

Reasons for return/not returning Yes - my parents live there and I really like the area, it's very relaxing and I like travelling by ferry with my bike when it is open in the summer months.

Q8: Would you recommend the event to others, and why?

Yes Reasons why/why not The MOK bike

and MOK tri - yes as these aren't as well known as the MOK run.

Q9: Would you recommend the area to others, and why?

Yes Reasons why/why not Yes. There is lots

to do like visit historical places and the beach. Sometimes good weather helps but if it's raining aqualibrium is a good fall-back.

Q10: What other events do you attend? None really.

Q1: What is your gender?

Female

Q2: What is your age?

45 to 54

Q3: Where do you live?

Cardiff

Q4: Which event(s) have you previously visited the area to attend?

MOK Music Festival

Other (please specify) New year 2000. Gigha Raft Race.

Q5: Would you attend the event again and why?

No

63

Reasons for attending/ not attending Would love to go to music festival but dates never work for us. Also Gigha music festival. Not in school holidays so impossible

Q6: Have you revisited the area since the event and why?

Reasons for return Regular visitor. Mother from Campbeltown. Sister lives on Gigha

Q7: Do intend to revisit the area and why?

Reasons for return/not returning Regular visitor

Q8: Would you recommend the event to others, and why?

No

Reasons why/why not Long way to go. Would have to be amazing acts to recommend the actual event.

Q9: Would you recommend the area to others, and why?

No

Reasons why/why not The area is beautiful and relatively quiet.

Q10: What other events do you attend?

Edinburgh festival. Mainly fringe.

Q1: What is your gender?

Female

Q2: What is your age?

55 to 64

Q3: Where do you live?

Texas

Q4: Which event(s) have you previously visited the area to attend?

MOK Music Festival

Q5: Would you attend the event again and why?

Yes

Reasons for attending/ not attending Great weekend seeing everyone you have not seen for years.

Q6: Have you revisited the area since the event and why?

64

No

Reasons for return No money

Q7: Do intend to revisit the area and why?

Reasons for return/not returning Festival

Q8: Would you recommend the event to others, and why?

Yes

Reasons why/why not Great place to visit

Q9: Would you recommend the area to others, and why?

Yes

Reasons why/why not No place like home

Q10: What other events do you attend?

None

65