Flower Power? Activity Preferences of Residents and Tourists to an Australian Flower Festival

Festivals act as attractions with drawing power that are strategically utilized as part of a destination's marketing campaign. Although it is argued that festivals can be employed to strengthen, enhance, or change a destination's image, it is essential to first identify a profile of attendees that can then be used to inform future marketing campaigns. This research aimed to segment attendees on the basis of their residency and activity preferences to the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers, a major regional festival held in Queensland, Australia. An on-site self-administered questionnaire was utilized and 511 valid surveys were analyzed. key findings from this research were that the number of residents and tourists were relatively equal and that the difference between the event-related activities for these two segments was insignificant. It was also concluded that whereas daily expenditure is higher for tourists, a large percentage travel from locations in proximity to the region and stay with friends and relatives. Several theoretical and practical implications are provided and opportunities for future research are outlined.