Enhancing Brand Image through Events and Cultural Festivals: the Perspective of the Stresa Festival’s Visitors

Cultural events have become a significant component within the strategies of destination branding of a place. Territories are increasingly using events and cultural festivals to enhance their image and boost tourism development. Many destinations worldwide have built events portfolios as a strategic initiative to attract visitors and to develop their own brand. A destination brand represents a dynamic interaction between the destination’s core assets and the way in which potential visitors perceive them. This paper investigates how the visitors assess the impact of cultural events and festivals in enhancing the image of a tourist destination. The Stresa Festival (Stresa, Lake Maggiore, Italy) has been selected as a case study. It is based on a clear methodology; findings reveal that there is a positive relationship between a cultural event and the enhancement of the city image and its territory. The paper has an international relevance due to the research team who worked on it, and the analysis presented are original considering visitor perspective is considered as fundamental in triggering processes of destination branding.