A Critical Analysis of how events contribute to destination community development.

Critical Analysis Review BX3194

( BX3194 - Critical analysis Review Event Impact on Community Well-being and Sustainable Tourism DISTINCTION SAMPLE PAPER )

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1.0 INTRODUCTION

Community well-being is highly important within a community because it ultimately leads to a higher quality of life for all members within that community. Community well-being is known as ‘the satisfaction with the local place of residence taking into account the attachment to it, the social and physical environment and the services and facilities’ (McCrea, Walton, & Leonard, 2014). From this definition, it is evident that multiple elements contribute to community well-being. Five of the most important components – discussed throughout this report – include: built capital, human capital, social capital, cultural capital and natural capital. Sustainable tourism is also important to community well-being and usually involves processes that ensure continual access to economic, social, cultural and environmental resources (Hall & Richards, 2002).

This analysis will show how events impact on community development by focusing on each of the different types of capital and determining how these factors contribute to the overall sustainability and well-being of a destination community. The purpose of this report is to recommend policies and procedures that can be used by event planners and tourism organisations to ensure that events do positively impact the well-being of the destination community while simultaneously being sustainable. A search for relevant literature was conducted through the use of Google Scholar and One Search. Key terms such as: what is built capital, events and built capital, sporting events impact on built capital were used as a means of finding evidence to support the fact that events can positively impact on each of the capitals and therefore destination community well-being. Limitations were present throughout this analysis as it was highly difficult to find examples of events – as a whole – that positively contributed to the well-being of a destination community. Therefore, majority of the examples used were based on sports events. This then limits the validity of the information as different events can impact the capitals differently. Time constraints and skill level of the writer also limited the degree of accuracy throughout this report. Nevertheless, the material found is representative of the research conducted on this topic so far.

This review will firstly discuss each of the different capitals and provide examples of events that positively contribute to the capitals making for greater community well-being. It will then determine how events positively impact sustainable tourism and finally provide recommendations of policies that can be used by destination managers to ensure events are being conducted in a sustainable manner and are improving overall destination community well-being.

2.0 EVENTS AND DESTINATION COMMUNITY WELLBEING

2.1 Events and Built Capital

Built capital is defined as the foundation in which a community is built on and acts as the framework for how other capitals can be created and maximised (Jacobs, 2011). Built capital is one of the contributing factors that makes for a better community well-being overall. Roads, buildings, machinery, sewerage plants and water systems are all examples of built capital which mainly comprise of physical components (Jacobs, 2011). It was noted by Abebe, Bolton, Pavelka and Pierstoff (2014) that events such as the FIFA World Cup of 2014 can have a positive impact on built capital. Due to Brazil hosting the World Cup, it was expected they would spend US $10.18 billion on the transportation infrastructure as well as an additional US $1.8 billion on stadiums (Abebe, Bolton, Pavelka, & Pierstorff, 2014). Among these project, a total of 12 stadiums were built or refurbished, 13 airports were upgraded and 47 different types of transportation systems were modernised (Abebe, Bolton, Pavelka, & Pierstorff, 2014). This involved new roads and highways, sky rails to and from the airports, dedicated bus lanes and access to trams (Abebe, Bolton, Pavelka, & Pierstorff, 2014). Another example of events positively impacting on built capital is through Barcelona’s bid to host the Olympics. Barcelona’s development projects were accelerated, so much so that the projects were completed within 5 years as opposed to the 30 years it would have taken had they not won the bid (Abebe, Bolton, Pavelka, & Pierstorff, 2014). Within this time, there was a 17% increase in sewage systems, a 78% increase in green space and a 15% jump in road quality throughout Barcelona (Abebe, Bolton, Pavelka, & Pierstorff, 2014). Hosting events like these positively impacts the built capital within these destination areas, which in turn provides higher quality facilities for those who live in the destination community, ultimately contributing to a higher standard of community well-being.

Although built capital is regarded as highly important, it can also have negative impacts on the destination community. An example of this is when residents were forced out of their apartment buildings in Sydney in order to create the necessary infrastructure needed to host the 2000 Olympic Games (Abebe, Bolton, Pavelka, & Pierstorff, 2014). Infrastructure within a community is highly useful until it reaches the point that the community no longer sees the infrastructure as an important piece of equipment and instead sees it as a burden. Another form of capital that has both positive and negative impacts on community well-being is Human capital.

2.2 Events and Human Capital

Like built capital, human capital is another contributing factor influencing the level of well-being within a community. Human capital is known as the knowledge, skills and experience a human – more commonly referred to as an employee – has to offer (Newstex, 2015). Possessing these skills means this particular person is healthy enough, has the ability and experience to provide labour and/or expert knowledge in a specific field. It was reported by Mooney, McCall & Paton (2015) that events have the capacity to bring about urban renewal and regeneration within communities. In order to regenerate certain aspects of communities, so they are capable of hosting events, a large amount of specific knowledge, skills and the ability to carry out labour are required. By hosting events, human capital is required, jobs are created and unemployment numbers decrease. This leads to a higher rate of community well-being as these people will now have an income and feel as though they have contributed positively to their community. An example of increased employment due to hosting an event is that of security. Due to previous terrorist attacks – such as the 9/11 – there has been a call for a severe increase in the number and complexity of security systems put in place throughout sporting arenas (Taylor & Toohey, 2011). This means there is a greater demand for event organisers to train and hire a surplus of security personnel (Taylor & Toohey, 2011). In addition to that, they have to hire people to fit and maintain the security cameras as well as staff to monitor the security footage on the day of the event. Therefore events do provide positive impacts on human capital and in turn, community well-being as a whole.

Human capital can be a great asset to a destination community, especially if it is supported effectively. The downside to human capital is that it is owned by the employee, not the employer and is therefore highly mobile. This can be a problem when trying to retain the highest level of human capital within a community.

2.3 Events and Social Capital

Social capital is another aspect that is important to overall community well-being. Social capital is the process of facilitating networks within a community to help the community bring about a collective goal which seeks to provide mutual benefits (Falk, 2000). Through these relationships, the other forms of capital can then be used to contribute positively to community well-being. It has been found that social capital is not as concise as once thought. It is noted by Dale & Onyx (2005) that social capital is highly complex to understand and contains many layers. The key factors that contribute to social capital are: community participation, trust, social agency, neighbourhood connections and tolerance of diversity (Dale & Onyx, 2005). Therefore it is important to ensure that majority of the destination community members have the same goals and expectations in regards to events being held in their community to harmoniously work together to build on social capital and create a higher level of community well-being. Events – in particular sports events – are said to promote communication and integration while creating an understanding of differences between a variety of groups (Schulenkorf, Thomson, & Schkenker, 2011). An example of a sport event that has made a positive contribution to social capital is that of the ‘Homeless World Cup’. The HWC involves an international street soccer competition and is a tool used to increase social interaction and to raise awareness of homelessness (Sherry, Karg, & O'May, 2011). It was stated that events such as HWC have the ability to impact attitudinal change within the community while promoting change toward social issues, such as homelessness (Sherry, Karg, & O'May, 2011). HWC also offers a grass-roots program meaning that members of that community have greater opportunity to be socially interactive at a younger age, which fosters the importance of social cohesion throughout their lives. By creating events like HWC, the community has a common objective, which allows for social cohesion and an overall higher quality of life within that community. Therefore, it can be said that events – especially sporting events – act as a catalyst for building social capital which in turn have a positive impact on community well-being overall. One negative to social capital is that it relies heavily on community participation. If members of the community do not see the importance or simply do not want to co-operate with one another, social capital can be extremely difficult to build.

2.4 Events and Cultural Capital

Just like social capital, cultural capital within a community is also held in high regard. Cultural capital is most commonly known for its association with particular cultural practices and events that surround those practices (Serre & Wagner, 2015). Theatre, reading, going out and listening to music are some of the key features that make up a community’s culture (Serre & Wagner, 2015). The frequency of events like these can determine the degree of importance a community places on its love of culture. Yi-De (2014) determined that there are multiple ways that cultural events contribute to the well-being of a community. It allows different ethnic groups the opportunity to share their own culture, while providing the community with a sense of ownership and pride (Yi-De, 2014). It also has the ability to ensure that all cultures are being catered to by hosting events specific to their culture while simultaneously ensuring that local residents feel as though they have a permanent place within the community (Yi-De, 2014). Christmas Market is a European Christmas tradition that entails a street set up with stalls boasting all things Christmas (Brida, 2017). Stall owners sell traditional Christmas decorations, artisan products, local food and drinks, toys and various other local products consistent with the Christmas theme (Brida, 2017). Brida (2017) states that this event is not only used for shopping, it is also used to create a family experience offering the local culture through music, food and performances. Events like these help to highlight the importance of showcasing culture within communities and show the importance of maximising this cultural capital to provide a higher quality of living within that community. Although culture in a community is highly important, it is also detrimental to ensure that in traditionally cultured communities, culture is not lost through commodification. This is an international and domestic concern due to globalization and advances in technology and finds that the production of traditional, cultural products is increasingly more difficult to maintain (Blakey, 2015).

2.5 Events and Natural Capital

Natural capital is another element that adds to overall community well-being and can be defined as the sustainable use of natural resources (Akerman, 2003). It consists of the resources and processes provided by nature that are available to humans to modify and build upon for further use. Events can have a positive impact on communities especially when looking at the education and awareness hosting events fosters. An example of this is through the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games. It was reported that the use of the Commonwealth Games acted as a tool for education of sustainable development (Harris, 2013). This then went on to impact various groups and organisations throughout the community (Harris, 2013). The education of sustainable development strategy is put in place to use the popularity surrounding sporting events to act as a catalyst for environmental awareness while instilling into young people the importance of showing respect to the environment (Harris, 2013). ESD has formed such a positive relationship within sporting events that in 2006 the Macao Government was not forced to include ESD as part of their event but instead opted to (Harris, 2013). It was believed that carrying out environmentally friendly activities and promoting environmental awareness would make for a healthier lifestyle among the community (Harris, 2013). This evidence demonstrates that events do contribute positively to natural capital and therefore overall quality of life within a community. However, it is only a matter of time before the environment begins to deteriorate from constant visitor use and from those within the community. Therefore it is important to ensure that all methods used to maximise capital to create greater community well-being are done so in a sustainable manner.

3.0 EVENTS AND SUSTAINABLE TOURISM

As tourism becomes increasingly popular among many different communities worldwide, the need to employ practices that lead to sustainable tourism has also become much more significant (Hall & Richards, 2002). Without community sustainability, development of tourism cannot expect to be or remain sustainable (Hall & Richards, 2002). Therefore, sustaining the destination community has become the primary element in regards to creating sustainable tourism (Hall & Richards, 2002). Destination image is how tourists and community members see that community. This can often be a contributing factor used to decide whether a tourist wants to visit a certain destination or not (King, Chen, & Funk, 2012). Destination Image is also highly important in the event market as a positive destination image helps to promote events (King, Chen, & Funk, 2012). Special events are readily used by destination managers as a means of enhancing or restoring a destination image (King, Chen, & Funk, 2012). An example of this is when Melbourne decided to host the 2003 Rugby World Cup. It strategically used a sporting event to increase its image nationally and internationally and went on to gain a large amount of exposure as a destination for all ‘active sport’ tourists (Zagnoli & Radicchi, 2009). Likewise, events – particularly sporting events – can be used to support existing tourism businesses and increase the length of stay within a community. Major sports events can be used to attract and maintain visitors while increasing their length of stay and amount of money spent while in the area (Zagnoli & Radicchi, 2009). It was reported that in 2007 tourists spent $16 billion while in the area for a NASCAR event and also increased the local travel and tourism employment figures by 2% (Zagnoli & Radicchi, 2009). It was also found that because 50 of the NASCAR teams were based locally, attendees not only came to spectate but also came to shop, visit race-related museums and make use of the other services available within the community (Zagnoli & Radicchi, 2009). By using events to boost destination image, support local tourism organisations and increase length of stay, sustainable tourism can be achieved. Each of these aspects touches on each of the capitals which ultimately provides community well-being. Events are helping to facilitate a sense of pride within a community, social cohesion, economic input, display of local culture, environmental awareness and the importance that humans play in keeping their communities alive. All of these elements contribute to sustaining a community.

4.0 SYNTHESIS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Events make a positive contribution to community well-being because of the impact they have on built capital, human capital, social capital, cultural capital and natural capital. Through the use of events, these five capitals combined can be maximised to create a higher quality of living for members in a destination community while continuing to sustain them well into the future. However, as with majority of management schemes there are challenges associated. One problem stems from dealing with communities as a whole. Problems arise when trying to involve the whole of a community in developing events and tourism strategies (Hall & Richards, 2002). This is because there are many different opinions and varying degrees of interest among individuals within a community (Hall & Richards, 2002). Leading on from this, another problem that arises is the concern shown by community members in regards to allowing visitors to use their resources. Community members believe that these visitors are unlikely to make a return visit and therefore have no interest in contributing to the local community culturally or socially and have no motivation to ensure their actions do not impact the community negatively (Moscardo, Konovalov, Murphy, & McGehee, 2013). One policy that can be used to ensure all members of the community and those who visit share a common goal is to put one person in place who facilitates all communication between the most important parties within the tourism industry. This policy is known as the ‘convenor, facilitator and liaison of community tourism activities’ (Wang, Pizam, & Breiter, 2011) . This liaison holds collaborative communication sessions with government organisations, non-profit organisations, local businesses and any other organisations who are affected (Wang, Pizam, & Breiter, 2011). This allows for open communication and problem solving ensuring that both the community and visitors to the community are being catered to (Wang, Pizam, & Breiter, 2011).

Another possible policy to put into practice is an ‘organiser of destination marketing campaigns’ (Wang, Pizam, & Breiter, 2011). This person is responsible for designing marketing campaigns that will be viable in a specific community, will show how the community should utilise the marketing strategies and allows as many people as possible from the community to contribute (Wang, Pizam, & Breiter, 2011). This role entails welcoming and sustaining relationships between community members, destination organisations and constituents of that area so they continue to contribute ideas in the future (Wang, Pizam, & Breiter, 2011).

It is important to recognise that without destination community participation, sustainable tourism and a way of managing it, high quality of life within communities and tourism development would be extremely difficult to build and sustain.

5.0 REFERENCES

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