THE EFFECT OF PARTICIPATION IN FESTIVALS ON SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING AND SATISFACTION: A CASE STUDY OF THE BOULEVARD WORLD FESTIVAL IN SAUDI ARABIA

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore the potential effects of attending the Boulevard World Festival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on local visitors' subjective well-being and satisfaction with the festival, as well as their perceptions of the impact of attending the festival on their culture. Prior literature examining the effect of festival attendance on subjective well-being was reviewed to illuminate the scope of this study and the knowledge gap. The analysis of the literature revealed the paucity of available and reliable tourism data regarding international festivals in developing countries. Thus, the adoption of the case study strategy will produce a rich source of information for Saudi Arabia regarding the effect of hosting festivals like the Boulevard World on local residents. Specifically, the study looks at the relationships between variables linking festival attendance to subjective well-being and satisfaction with the festival, namely, length of stay, type of companions, visitor demographics, visit frequency, future behavioural intention, loyalty to the destination and local visitor culture. Thus, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of the potential effects of festival participation on visitors' subjective well-being and satisfaction with the festival within a given cultural context. Although studies of festival tourism have emerged, knowledge is limited about the effect of festival attendance on the subjective well-being and visitors’ satisfaction with the festival. A mixed methods approach involving a survey and semi-structured interviews was utilised. The participants who visited Boulevard World Festival 2021 were Saudis of both genders aged 18 years and over. A closed questionnaire was distributed to visitors to the festival and 296 completed questionnaires were received. The aim of the questionnaires was to obtain a broad, general picture of the effect of festival attendance on visitors' subjective well-being and festival satisfaction. The data obtained were analysed using SPSS software program, whereby cross tabulation was performed to produce the descriptive analysis to determine the visitors' backgrounds, tendencies and opinions on a set of dimensions. Subsequently, in-depth information and a comprehensive understanding were obtained by conducting interviews with a purposive sample of 28 survey participants. Thematic analysis was used to interpret and explore the interview data. The survey results showed that festival attendance can significantly improve visitors' subjective well-being. Participants who visited the festival multiple times, along with those who stayed for a longer period reported a higher level of subjective well-being. In addition, it was confirmed that festival satisfaction had a more significant effect on single, younger and less-educated participants, whereas gender was not found to be significant. The results established that festival satisfaction is significantly and positively associated with behavioural intention and future loyalty. Finally, the results indicated that there was a significant relationship between the cultural values of the participants and the level of their subjective well-being and their satisfaction with the festival. The more that visitors respect their traditional values while not being open to other cultures, the lower their level of subjective well-being and satisfaction with the festival and vice versa. The interviews revealed that there were concerns about international festivals which ranged from annoyance to more serious concerns about the type of events and the behaviour of performers and visitors. However, it was also notable that most of the participants had no concerns because they believed that festivals such as the Boulevard World would bring prosperity, improve Saudi Arabia's image abroad, provide fun for the whole family and offered an opportunity to experience a range of other cultures. The study concludes by proposing a number of recommendations for stakeholders in the recreational tourism sector, especially international festival tourism, in line with the stated aims of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, as well as for future research.