Abstract:
The goal of this mater’s research project was to investigate the relationship between festivals and a
regional marketing initiative geared toward cultural tourism. By examining the Cultural Cascades initiative and its relationship to select festivals I set out to understand how issues such as theme selection, economic impact, regional identity, community building, authenticity, and sustainability are considered when marketing a region as a cultural tourism destination. My research used an extensive literature review, document analysis, case study, questionnaires and in-depth interviews. The findings of
this research provide a set of recommendations for tourism and festival practitioners that may be useful
when planning for regional cultural tourism initiatives.