Introduction
The tradition to hold festivals and other celebrating events dates back to the post war period when such occasions were held on the national level. As reported by Allen et al. (2008), the dawn of festivals is usually dated in 1940s-1950s (p. 7). Besides, most festivals that are currently held are considered to root from the tradition of the post war period if they have floral name or the one of aboriginal origin.
As a rule, festivals reflect the prosperity of the destination where they are held and enable the organisers of the event to attract more tourists. In this respect, festivals can be considered one of the tourist honeypots that contribute positively to the growth of economy and development of infrastructure.
Type Of Event
Length of event. The Moomba festival is held in Melbourne, Australia for four days during the weekend which pertains to the Labour Day long weekend that ends in the second week of March. As such, the beginning of the festival is on the second week of March.
Reason for the event. The reason for the event includes a number of factors that reflect the events that were held in the early 1950s and predestined the start of the festival.
The long weekend of the Labour Day, the visit of Queen Elisabeth II in 1954, and a desire of people to have a celebration, “to have fun” (which is the mission statement of the festival), “to share in the vibrancy and spirit of our much loved city” (City of Melbourne, n. d.) can be considered the reasons for starting the festival.
How long the event has been running. The event has been running yearly since 1955 when it was first held; every year it is held during four days.
Significance Of The Event To The Destination
Economic
Melbourne is one of the largest cities in Australia situated in South Australia. Its economic situation enables the city authorities to hold the festival every year regardless of economic and political situation.
As suggested in the study by Dwyer and Dwyer (2010), the host country gains from the development of tourism whereas the suppliers of services also benefit as their businesses are developing owing to the growth of tourism (p. 225).
Social
The ethnic integrity is one of the important factors contributing to the positive image of Melbourne because only encouraging population to participate in it. Festivals and events associations started active development after the first festivals were held (Allen et al., 2008, p. 11).
Interchanges between cultures of the locals and visitors are beneficial to the destination as people become aware of the cultural differences. Families and children like this festival; besides, participation of celebrities as Moomba Monarchs makes this a good event to attract tourists.
Environment
The environment is sustainable; it is favourable for farming and demonstrates good harvests of locally grown products. Water resources enable the authorities of the festival to hold Water Ski Championships as the Yarra River is located in Melbourne.
Sharpley and Telfer (2002) claim that environmental protection costs are sustained by the host destination including all sequences and damage brought to the environment (p. 107). Recycling of the product packages helps to sustain good environment.
Hosting The Event
Infrastructure
The infrastructure of Melbourne includes transportation, roads, and industry. The transportation of the city allows easy transitions between the residence areas and the festival area which is located on the bank of the Yarra River. The situation with transportation can be seen from the following table demonstrating data retrieved from the Australian Bureau of Statistics official website:
(Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2009, “Economy”)
This means that the city owns 7 buses and about 90 light commercial vehicles which is supposed to be sufficient to provide the tourists with transportation means.
Accommodation
The accommodations include hotels, motels, and other services apartments located in the city. As such, the city of Melbourne has 2 accommodations with the number of rooms from 5 to 14; 119 apartments with 15 and more rooms; 121 apartments with the total of 5 and more rooms.
The total number of visitor hotels in Melbourne equals 14 (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2009, “Economy”). Involvement of international corporations and hotel chains are beneficial for the development of tourism in the host destination (McQueen, 1983, p. 141).
Labour market
The analysis of labour market the “total population aged 15 years and over” who would work voluntarily includes 20.5% based on Census 2006 data (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2009, “Population/People”). The occupational groups data can be seen from the following table adapted from Australian Bureau of Statistics (2009, “Population/People”):
This means that there are sufficient number of representatives of different occupational groups to satisfy the needs of tourists and guests of the festival.
Effect On The Destination Image
The effect of the Moomba festival of the image of Melbourne is positive because the festival demonstrates the traditions and socio-cultural situation in the city. Moreover, the economic stability of the city and investment rate is reflected in the activities that contribute to the festival’s programme.
The involvement of international hotel chains can contribute to the development of the destination image, “assurance of service quality and security” (Kusluvan & Karamustafa , 2001, p. 182). Infrastructure of the city enables it to host the festival every year making the programme of events richer and richer.
The image of Melbourne reopens for many tourists and guests as a city full of cultural heritage and the one that contributes to the family-oriented leisure.
Reference List
Allen, J., O’Toole, W., Harris, R., & McDonnell, I., 2008. Festival and special event management, 4th ed. Milton: John Wiley & Sons.
Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2009. National Regional Profile. Web.
City of Melbourne, n. d. Moomba Festival. Web.
Dwyer, L., Forsyth, P., & Dwyer, W., 2010. Tourism economics and policy. Bristol: Channel View Publications.
Kusluvan, S., & Karamustafa, K., 2001. Multinational hotel development in developing countries: an exploratory analysis of critical policy issues. International journal of Tourism Research, 3, 179-197.
McQueen, M., 1983. Appropriate policies towards multinational hotel corporations in developing countries. World Development, 11 (2), 141-152.
Sharpley, R., & Telfer, D. J., 2002. Tourism and development: concepts and issues. Church Point: Footprint Books.