Event tourism is seen as one of the foremost methods of creating publicity, attracting tourists, and producing revenue. Demand for event tourism in rural areas has increased in recent years.
This study used survey a research method to collect data by distributing questionnaires to event and festival attendees of Appalachia Ohio. The Appalachian region of Ohio is considered a distressed county by its low socioeconomic status, higher poverty rates, and lower-paying occupations. The survey questionnaire was developed based on a literature review of previous research. Questions regarding visitor motivation of festival/event attending, food interests, satisfaction, travel characteristics, and expenditure were included in the survey. The study explored motivations, food interests, satisfaction, loyalty and buying behaviors of individuals who attended two major local food event festivals. A total of 200 usable surveys were collected. All data were analyzed using SPSS 17.0.
Results suggest that the leading motivations for attending food festivals and events are "to see and experience new and different things," "to enjoy the events atmosphere," and "to try new and different foods." This suggests that while food may not be a significant motivating factor, it is a contributing influence. Attendees for both festivals had a strong interest in food with high levels of satisfaction and loyalty. Both festivals had similar travel and demographic characteristics among their attendees. Results from these data suggest that attendees' motivations and food interests affected their level of satisfaction with the event. Results also suggest that satisfaction levels are positively related to loyalty status among event and festival attendees.