The Tourism and Transport Forum published the ‘Backing Major Events’ Research Paper in May this year. More than 3000 Australians were surveyed as part of the research about what value they place on major events, what types of events they want to see in their home states and their attitudes about government support for major events.

The paper shares key findings such as ‘89 per cent of Australians think it is important for their state or territory to host major events’ and ‘Australians’ preference for major events are led by popular music events, followed by sport, and food and wine’. Another interesting finding is that Australians rank economic benefits as the most important outcome of major events.

What are the implications for arts and cultural events and how do they contribute to the visitor economy? The report highlights the value of carving out an event niche which smaller towns such as Tamworth have done over the years with their Country Music Festival. The report also case studies the Queensland Performing Arts Centre’s International Series as an example of events provision that can change the way a city is viewed by connecting a city’s cultural sector with a global cultural network.

The ‘Backing Major Events’ report acknowledges that ongoing research and event measurement is crucial to better understanding other benefits of major events such as increased participation in a particular cultural activity and a destination’s improved market penetration in the visitor and experience economy.

Read the short paper on the Forum’s website and let us know what you think. If you are playing in the cultural tourism space what sense do you make of the findings?