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Purpose – The paper focuses on the profile of chefs, whose job is considered as one of the most challenging professions as it involves scientific mastery, as well as creativity, and innovation. Design – Based on a sample of 264 individuals (both starred Italian chefs listed on Michelin Red Guide and students from six Italian culinary high schools), the study assesses which factors affect chefs’ innovative performance. Findings – Results show that success in haute cuisine depends on several factors, which involve chef’s creativity, culinary innovation process, and the restaurant service offering (restaurantscape). The differences between chefs in training and top chefs in terms of creativity are underlined. The study offers suggestions on chefs’ innovative process and provides a better understanding of how success in the chef profession is influenced by both individual features and environmental/social characteristics. Furthermore, results indicate which capabilities chefs in training should possess in order to succeed and, in turn, which capabilities should be developed by professional high schools of cooking in order to stimulate innovativeness in their educational programs. Originality of the research – This research contributes to the literature by suggesting which key factors promote creativity and innovation and a continuous flow of innovative ideas in haute cuisine.

PurposeTechnological platforms encourage the exchange of knowledge and creation of new ideas that create new value for participating members who pool and combine their knowledge, facilities, tools and skills, thus contributing to the development of innovative solutions. This paper focuses on hackathon platforms, working as open innovation intermediaries, investigating their role and functions and exploring how they encourage the collaboration and the innovativeness among participants in order to boost their innovative new ideas.Design/methodology/approachThe research method is a qualitative design that includes in-depth interviews of ten stakeholders that play different roles in “Hack for Travel,” the case under analysis. It is a hackathon organized entirely online, as a response to the crisis generated by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).FindingsFindings revealed six processes developed by the hackathon platform used to effectively organize the event and facilitate participants to cooperate and share knowledge in order to boost the spread of innovative ideas. Results identify how hackathons should be organized and through which processes they work as innovation platforms.Originality/valueThis is one of the first attempts to study the increasing phenomenon of hackathons, providing theoretical contribution and practical implications about their role in developing innovation.

Destination familiarity is thought to critically influence tourists’ decision-making processes. Yet the role of familiarity in shaping tourists’ and residents’ image of, and loyalty to, a destination remains uncertain. This research tests a complex and holistic model of familiarity, affective, cognitive and overall images, and the conative behavioural intentions of visiting and recommending the destination for both residents and visitors in the context of the emerging tourism destination of Molise, Italy. The results reveal that residents and visitors differ in terms of their familiarity and intention to visit a place, with familiarity being less likely to influence residents’ intentions. There is heterogeneity between residents and visitors’ affective image and intention to visit, as well as between their overall image and intention to recommend Molise. Hence, unlike visitors, residents are more likely to respond to factual cognitive imaging, rather than emotional messaging, suggesting that shifting residents’ perceptions of place image requires a different approach to that of visitors. Future research should seek to confirm the relationships in a multi-destination study.

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to uncover the main capabilities that a luxury hotel needs to develop when functioning as the orchestrator of a local gastronomic business ecosystem.Design/methodology/approachGiven the limited attention previous literature has placed on the role of luxury hotels as orchestrators in luxury gastronomic business ecosystems, this paper adopts a qualitative approach, i.e. the exploratory analysis of a single case study: the Italian high-end hotel Borgo Egnazia.FindingsThe paper highlights the main capabilities developed by the orchestrator: relational, combinative and promotional capabilities.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is among the first studies to explore what capabilities are needed by a company to orchestrate a destination that builds its product and service offerings upon the local food culture.

This study examines the personality traits of start-up entrepreneurs within the Italian tourism industry. The purpose is to investigate how the specific personality traits of narcissism, locus of c...

The aim of the study is to explore the links that firms from low and medium technology (LMT) industries establish with universities for innovative purposes. Even though knowledge transfer from university to industry has generally increased over time, it has mostly been directed at firms in high-tech industries (HT) due to the belief that firms from LMT industries often lack the absorptive capacity necessary to take advantage of external knowledge. In the case of LMT industries, university-industry knowledge transfer has received less attention from management and innovation studies, and understanding the specific conditions where universities may contribute to the innovative effort of LMT firms largely remains unexplored. With the aim of contributing to this debate, the paper focuses on the wine sector, generally considered an LMT industry. Firstly, the study assesses to which type of innovation promoted by winemakers do universities effectively contribute. Secondly, the study examines under what conditions universities assume a relevant role in the innovative activity of LMT firms. To test our hypotheses, the study uses primary data collected through a survey targeting Italian wine SMEs and runs a set of econometric evaluations. Findings show that universities represent a relevant source of knowledge mainly for organizational and commercial innovation, but not for product innovation. For these purposes, university knowledge related to social sciences has a more relevant input for firms than does knowledge with higher scientific and technological content.

Purpose of the paper: This study examines the link between the profile of lifestyle entrepreneurship and the emerging concept of the hotel typology of “Albergo Diffuso”, both of which are contemporary offshoots of their major categories. Methodology : Due to the originality and novelty of the business model, first a literature review was conducted in order to achieve the realization of a clear representation of this new kind of accommodation. Then, a questionnaire divided into three sections was developed, including closed-ended and open questions, and administered to a sample of AD. Research limits : Both topics deserve merit for in-depth investigations since they are under-researched. For this point this research needs new and deeper studies focused on face-to-face interviews looking for the drivers that link the concept of “Albergo Diffuso” to the one of “Lifestyle entrepreneur”. Practical implications : Preliminary results of the qualitative study that used a nine-parameter measurement scale suggest that the “Albergo Diffuso” owners’ profile mirrors the one of the typical “lifestyle entrepreneur”. Originality of the paper: The study confirms the “Albergo Diffuso” as a socio-culturally embedded entity in its location and that AD entrepreneurs possess a high level of personal motivation in establishing their enterprises.

The research presents the combination of insights from development practices of sustainable tourism and Open Innovation approach. The aim is to unlock new knowledge on how customer can influence the translation of sustainable innovation within small accommodation enterprises. Among these, it is relevant the role played by "alberghi diffusi", defined as an authentic experience of the Italian life style, and recognized as an innovative and sustainable accommodation typology. The analysis is based on ten multiple case studies drawn from the Italian context. The paper contributes to a better understanding of innovation processes in the "albergo diffuso" formula and to a deeper evidence-based understanding of the role of customers in the development of services and practices focused on sustainable principles.

This paper investigates the concept of “Albergo Diffuso” - a new form of sustainable development within the tourism and lodging industry. The authors analyze its main characteristics and discuss its future development and sustainability practices. The analysis includes an assessment of the Albergo Diffuso concept with that of a standard hotel to determine if and how this emergent concept differs from the conventional accommodation by looking at its distinctive features. A data collection through structured interviews with Albergo Diffuso owners in a focus group setting was conducted. Overall, the authors identified the main characteristics of the Albergo Diffuso: it offers similar and unique amenities of a typical hotel brand, it contributes to the creation of new sustainable enterprises, and it contributes to the development of new sustainability policy for marginal regions. They also evaluated the challenges and opportunities this new entrepreneurial concept faces.

The paper investigates the emerging practice of social crowdfunding. It focuses on both the role played by crowdfunding platforms and the activities that these platforms perform in enhancing and facilitating the diffusion of social and cultural projects through donations. Crowdfunding platforms empower the financing of projects by soliciting small investments from a large base of potential backers over the Internet and creating a dynamic funding network. However, crowdfunding platforms should also create greater legitimacy for social enterprises by promoting early societal interaction and participation. To explore the context of social crowdfunding, the paper examines the case of the Italian social crowdfunding platform – Meridonare – by using both primary and secondary data sources. Findings reveal that, beyond acting as a standard crowdfunding platform, Meridonare eases interactions and relationships among different stakeholders. The emerging set of relationships gives rise to a Social Crowdfunding Business Ecosystem (SCBE), with the crowdfunding platform acting as a hub to enact knowledge sharing and service provision to a plethora of different actors.

The role of tradition in developing innovations in the hospitality industry is examined within the context of a new and emerging form of accommodation called Albergo Diffuso. We describe and discuss the different impacts of tangible and intangible sources of tradition on the development and unique positioning of this emerging form of accommodation. The data used are based on a qualitative analysis of 100 Albergo Diffuso websites and in-depth interviews with eleven owner/operators. The findings indicate that identifying and combining tangible and intangible attributes of tradition from various time periods may improve the value of an innovation, especially when it is perceived to enhance the authenticity of the experience for guests. Tradition-based strategies are shown to have multiple possible paths leading to innovation and development - a result that is relevant both for scholars and practitioners.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to shed new light on the role of country of origin (COO) for the competitiveness of luxury restaurants. The main goal is to understand how an haute cuisine (HC) chef can develop a personal cooking style and language based on the exploitation of COO in such a highly institutionalized field. Design/methodology/approach A single case study methodology is applied based on the analysis of the Italian HC chef Niko Romito. Findings Findings of this paper highlight the existence of pervasive use of strategies based on the search, recombination and codification of procedure that take direct inspiration by national and regional traditional gastronomic resources and recipes. Research limitations/implications Research implications refer to the interpretation of how a chef can work by formulating and developing competitive strategies through the recombination, reinterpretation and codification of local and typical gastronomic resources and cooking recipes. Practical implications The paper provides managerial insights into the relative effectiveness to use COO as a strategic resource for HC restaurants. Originality/value A model is presented and the three gears that form the COO chain of chef Romito are explained. This model will help academics and practitioners to better understand the ways need to be followed to improve firms’ competitiveness fostering COO.

This study analyzes the motivations and mechanisms that chef-entrepreneurs use to innovate their business model. Specifically, the paper adopts an in-depth case study approach for investigating how the Italian chef Romito innovates his BM over time. This research highlights and discusses the four motivations (creative freedom, reputation, legitimation, need to grow) and mechanisms (strategic thinking, standardization, co-operation, internationalization) along which the BM develops. Our findings contribute to the literature on creative industry, offering novel insights on the approaches adopted by creative entrepreneurs to compete over time. Indeed, these elements provide us clues to understand how creative firms can explore unfamiliar territories innovating their BM. Indeed, our results suggest that top chefs generally engage in entrepreneurship in order to innovate without restrictions and maximize their reputation for greater profits. This study is expected to provide useful insights in both theoretical and practical perspectives regarding the strategic decision-making approach leveraged by chefs.

This paper investigates the concept of “Albergo Diffuso” - a new form of sustainable development within the tourism and lodging industry. The authors analyze its main characteristics and discuss its future development and sustainability practices. The analysis includes an assessment of the Albergo Diffuso concept with that of a standard hotel to determine if and how this emergent concept differs from the conventional accommodation by looking at its distinctive features. A data collection through structured interviews with Albergo Diffuso owners in a focus group setting was conducted. Overall, the authors identified the main characteristics of the Albergo Diffuso: it offers similar and unique amenities of a typical hotel brand, it contributes to the creation of new sustainable enterprises, and it contributes to the development of new sustainability policy for marginal regions. They also evaluated the challenges and opportunities this new entrepreneurial concept faces.

Over time, the acronym DMO has evolved from a meaning centered on marketing (i.e. Destination Marketing Organization) to a meaning centered on management (i.e. Destination Management Organization). Expanding the role of DMOs to one of management implies a greater need to engage stakeholders both within the destination and external to the destination. We assert that this places the DMO in a fundamentally unique position of being a boundary spanner between the internal destination environment and the external competitive environment. This boundary-spanning role requires higher capabilities in knowledge management. The successful DMO of the future will be an intelligent agent of the destination that is able to identify, engage and learn from disparate stakeholders both within and outside the destination. It must acquire, filter, analyze and prioritize data and information from various sources to create knowledge that can be used to fulfill its role in destination management. Our paper is conceptual in nature, advocating an organizing framework to help understand the DMO's role as an intelligent agent that acts as a boundary spanner between the destination and the external competitive environment generating and disseminating knowledge. Outside the destination, the DMO must gain knowledge about the competitive environment, opportunities and threats, and trends that will change the future competitive landscape. Within the destination, the DMO must use this knowledge to strategically assess the strengths and weaknesses of the destination, align the resources of stakeholders and develop adequate competencies to formulate a strategy that is both competitive and sustainable. We conclude with a set of prescriptions for destination managers seeking to create an intelligent DMO that maximizes their knowledge management capabilities. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Purpose The aim of this paper is to analyze the relationships between distribution strategies and the level of innovation propensity in the winemaking industry. It intends to identify the existence of patterns around the way wineries innovate and the way distribution channels are used. These determinants can support or constrain wineries’ behaviors in their strategic choices related to distribution channels. Design/methodology/approach The sample comprised 191 Italian small- to medium-sized enterprises in the wine industry. First, a two-step cluster analysis was used to identify patterns in the level of innovation propensity and differences in distribution channel strategies. Second, the research question was tested using multinomial logit regression. Findings Five clusters of innovation propensity were identified, varying from “no propensity to innovate” to “propensity for radical innovation”, and three clusters of distribution channel strategies were found. A significant negative relationship between innovation propensity and distribution channel strategies was revealed. This means that the greater the propensity to innovate, the smaller the need for a wholesale distribution option. Research limitations/implications As with most research, there are limitations to this study. First, the sample is from only one country. A second limitation is the sample size (191 Italian firms). A sample including large firms can be used to further validate the findings. Linked to the sample, another possible limitation is that all respondents were small- and medium-sized enterprises from a single industry. Practical implications This study contributes to the current innovation research by showing the existence of a negative relationship between innovation propensity and the choice of distribution channel in the wine industry. This knowledge is precious to entrepreneurs and managers in the wine sector, allowing them to better consider not only the type of strategies related to distribution channels but also the importance of building the firm’s propensity to innovate into the strategic decision-making process. Furthermore, the paper provides an opportunity for practitioners to reflect upon the fact that changing the distribution channel is more than just changing the outlet for their product; it might also require a revision in their innovation propensity to better facilitate the process. Social implications There are also social implications, in particular providing an advantage for consumers. The major advantage is based on the fact that consumers are now aware that the level of innovation propensity in a wine industry is directly linked to the type of distribution channel adopted. Therefore, wines with low-innovation propensity are most likely found to adopt wholesale distribution strategy, while the more innovative wineries adopt the wine expert and direct distribution channels. Originality/value For the first time, a cluster analysis approach was used to review different typologies of Italian wineries based on their propensity toward to innovation and subsequent distribution strategies. This study further explains the direct relationship between innovation propensity and the strategic choice toward between long or short distribution channels.

This study focuses on creativity and innovation in the gastronomy sector, where both concepts have become increasingly relevant determinants of success, business performance and longer-term survival. Specifically, it investigates the key factors that effectively stimulate the actions and behaviours leading to a continuous flow of novel and useful ideas that can be turned into innovations. To achieve this, an inductive methodology was used, based on the study of a single but significant case, using the semi-structured in-depth interview. The results show that new ideas are mainly generated directly by the chef; hence individual features play a leading role, together with endless experimentation. They furthermore underline that the innovation process is mainly influenced by a trial-and-error approach, which is possible only if the chef has a genuine entrepreneurial spirit. These results hold several relevant theoretical and practical implications.

The paper analyses industrial heritage tourism management (IHTM) through a meta-analysis conducted with a review of international peer-reviewed journals in the English language. The literature on this topic, although showing an increasing interest, appears disarticulated and without a clear understanding of the main aspects and issues related to it. The aim was to explore IHTM concept and assess the state-of-the-art in literature, mainly looking for the connection with the tourism sector. A list of scientific articles has been created using these databases: Emerald, EBSCOHost, Science Direct and Google Scholar. Each paper has been analysed using several bibliometric indicators (number of articles, trends, methodologies, analysis of keywords, etc.) while the meta-analysis permitted to deepen the contents. Results highlighted the existence of three main themes: tourism demand; local development; destination governance. Conclusions offer some implications useful to academic debate and policy-makers regarding how to manage and innovate destinations seeking to restore and revitalise the industrial heritage.

The paper investigates the relationship between the culinary innovation process (divided in two stages: idea generation and idea transformation) and the role of creativity protection. The aim is to understand how chefs protect their creativity and their innovation outcomes. The analysis is based on a sample of 132 Italian Michelin-starred chefs. The study sheds light on creativity and innovation domains in the hospitality environment where organizations have to continuously innovate in order to maintain a defensible competitive position. It identifies five “barriers against imitation” by competitors: “listening to clients’ needs”; “chef’s own creativity”, “systematic approach to creativity”; “knowledge based feasibility”; “accumulated professional skills”. The paper represents an initial effort to examine creativity protection concepts in the gastronomy sector, which are still unexplored. It contributes to a better understanding of how to protect the intellectual property in a sector where the applicability of law-based intellectual property systems is very low.

Social entrepreneurship and social innovation are attracting increasing attention from policy makers, practitioners, as well as academics. They represent different ways of thinking and addressing social issues often overlooked by public/private organizations and also provide a viable means of responding to multiple social, economic and environmental crises. With this in mind, this chapter leads to a better understanding of social entrepreneurship and social innovation in the non-profit sector, using one specific case followed by a more generalized discussion. The case of “Banca Prossima” illustrates engagement in social problems and trying to find and apply new solutions that simultaneously meet a social need while also leading to new or improved capabilities and relationships and a better use of assets and resources.

In this paper, we introduce the themes addressed and the approaches used in this Special Issue to investigate the relationship between business model innovation and sustainability in the hospitality and tourism industry. After presenting the topics under investigation, we briefly discuss how the articles in the collection allow to unveil firms’ approaches used to innovate their business model focusing upon sustainable practices and goals. Therefore, by offering multiple perspectives of analysis, this Issue increases our comprehension and understanding of which sustainable strategies companies may adopt to compete in the tourism and hospitality sector.

When local food is resourced by restaurants that establish good relationships with other local stakeholders, this can enhance local food production, shape the place identity and image of a destination. While some of these aspects are beginning to receive scholarly attention, there is still too little research that examines the attitude of restaurants toward using and marketing local food as a way of promoting local identity and reinforcing the competitiveness of a destination. This is particularly the case in Italy where, to our best knowledge, there have been no studies published on this topic. This study aims at investigating to what extent restaurant managers are leveraging on local and typical food and what are the main barriers or constraints that, in their view, do not allow them to exploit fully local/typical food products as a positive means of attracting tourists or indeed make the most of opportunities to network with other local stakeholders. To achieve this, the present study draws on quantita...

In academia as well as in practice there is increasing interest in governing the complex relationships within destinations. Nevertheless, a gap persists in knowledge on how to engage the local community in the tourism development process. This paper analyzes residents’ perceptions, attitudes, and involvement related to tourism development in a mature Italian “Sun, Sea and Sand” tourism destination. Exploratory factor analysis followed by cluster analysis revealed four groups of residents representing different levels of interest towards tourism ranging from euphoria to apathy. The findings and conclusions are useful for tourism policymakers in Italy and elsewhere where there is a critical need for stakeholder management and other strategic management approaches in the public realm.

Previous destination marketing and management literature has focused on the importance of establishing effective relationships between the various tourism organizations (both private and public) involved in a tourism offer, in order to improve the competitiveness of a destination. However, very few works examine tourism destinations from a network perspective. Networks can be analyzed from either a relationship or a structural perspective. The aim of the present article is to adopt both of these perspectives to assess the different relationships that exist between tourism stakeholders (both private and public) within a specific Italian 3S tourism destination: Costa Smeralda-Gallura in the North-East of the island of Sardinia. Data were gathered from destination management organization (DMO) internal documents, local press, and through a questionnaire completed by a number of tourism organizations chosen from a list provided by the DMO, which at the time was the public body instructed to keep the official register. Our findings describe the Gallura-based destination as a network specifically defined by a relatively low level of density, collaboration, and integration in the relationships between local stakeholders. The study suggests that destination marketers and policy makers should run internal marketing and branding operations in order to enhance their collaboration, and therefore reach a strategic consensus among stakeholders.

This study aims at profiling residents based on their perceptions and attitude toward a motor sport event, namely the FIA World Rally Championship. A structured questionnaire was developed and responses from a convenience sample of 759 residents were collected face-to-face in Olbia (Sardinia, Italy), the main municipality involved in the event. A twostep cluster analysis was applied to the seven factors identified by running exploratory factor analysis on a list of 46 statements used to investigate residents’ perceptions and attitudes. Results show that residents perceptions and attitudes are not homogeneous and that four clusters can be identified with significant differences based on their socio-demographic characteristics. “Supporters” is the biggest one, followed in decreasing order of size, by: “Neutrals”, “Enthusiasts but culturally and environmentally concerned” and “Critics”. Contributions to the body of knowledge and managerial implications are discussed and suggestions for further research are given., tourismos, Vol. 11 No. 5 (2016)

This chapter introduces the concept of “Albergo Diffuso” (Diffused Hotel), (AD). A hotel typology that is emerging as a sustainable accommodation with the potential to compete and establish itself as a viable hotel business. To raise awareness about the concept we analyze the scarce literature available and the rather limited publicly available resources provided by the Association of Albergo Diffuso (AAD). We also conducted non-intrusive observations through personal on-location investigative visits of various ADs operations. We present a sample guests' satisfaction ratings of the concept by conducting a web content analysis of the Trip Advisor's website, a hotel rating platform, on the Residenza Sveva, an Albergo Diffuso property located in the city of Termoli, in the Region of Molise in South Central Italy. The data shows that this concept is patronized largely by couples but also by business travelers. The site gives this property a 4.5 / 5 star rating.

This Research Note analyses the contribution of Cittaslow (slow city) to the governance of tourism destinations by promoting the "slowness" perspective and the concept of sustainable development at the local level. This movement strongly encourages policy-makers to orient its various efforts essentially to define and implement policies, activities and initiatives for sustaining economic development, social well-being and environmental sustainability. In this way, it stimulates the improvement of quality of life for inhabitants and tourists of the involved destinations. Based on a qualitative analysis focused on "Cittaslow Association", this study concentrates on opportunities and challenges for certified destinations as well as the linkages between practices defined by the Cittaslow Association and sustainable development. From a theoretical point of view, the Research Note contributes to destination development literature, offering significant highlights on the governance of tourism destinations. From a managerial point of view, it supports policy-makers underlining the main opportunities and challenges for a tourism destination in being certified as Cittaslow.

This chapter theorizes how the ‘conceptual spaces’ created by the emerging Web 2.0-based tourism scenarios might be leveraged for harnessing cultural entrepreneurship within an e-governance framework for the systematic construction of smart, inclusive, sustainable place branding (Go and Covers, 2012). The genealogy of place harbours diverse ideas, the most salient ones being that place represents a particular perspective, that is, a path to the sacred place, often recreating the pilgrim’s journey and its three components of preparation, separation and return on the one hand, and its built form symbolizing the rite of passage and spiritual transformation on the other.

This chapter analyzes organizational citizenship behavior of permanent versus contingent employees in the Italian hospitality industry. The empirical data were derived from a questionnaire survey conducted in three regions of Southern Italy. Survey respondents were 848 frontline employees from 63 hotels. Findings show that contingent employees exhibited less helping behavior than permanent employees but no difference in their voice behavior. In addition, work status was found to make more of a difference in both helping and voice in less work centrality organizations. Hotel managers are encouraged to focus attention on individual behavior that is discretionary, not directly or explicitly recognized by the formal reward system, and that in the aggregate promotes the effective functioning of the organization. Particularly in Italy, it would be advantageous to develop retention strategies for talented people that exhibit a high degree of organizational citizenship behavior.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the potential and challenges of knowledge management, in particular the use of information and communication technologies, in supporting stakeholders' collaboration processes in the tourism destination by focusing on e-democracy. The term e-democracy was coined to define the electronic representation of a democratic process which aims at obtaining stakeholders active participation in the decision-making process about territorial policies and tourism planning. Despite the growing interest that this concept is gaining both in the academia and in the tourism sector, the related research is still at its early stage. This study was carried out to contribute to fill this gap analysing the case study of an Italian region where an e-democracy project on destination governance is currently going on. The main contribution to the body of knowledge, managerial implications and limitations of the study are discussed and future avenues of research are suggested.

This paper analyzes event management in the context of public-private sector collaboration. We explore interactions between tourism stakeholders and the event organizer. Our analysis is supported by a case study of the "Giro d'Italia", one of the most important and highly publicized European long- distance road races for professional cyclists. We gather empirical data using document analysis from focus groups and observations of public and private stakeholders in Termoli, a micro tourism destination of Southern Italy that hosted a stage of the 2011 event. We find that connectivity among stakeholders was low even though collaboration was an explicit strategy of the event organizers. The case emphasizes the importance of ensuring effective communication, learning and information dissemination. At the same time it illustrates the criticality of creating and sustaining a positive climate able to generate proactive relationships with stakeholders in the destination. Furthermore, we document a lack of knowledge and ability to extract benefits from hosting the event, as well as difficulties in managing the wide range of activities that such an event requires. We demonstrate that an event can serve as a support tool for community-building and economic development. However, as illustrated, success may be constrained by the local government's ability to organize the event and effectively engage the main local stakeholders while considering the intrinsic tourism characteristics of the destination. Finally the case study demonstrates how informal public-private relationships are important and needed to effectively complement formal structures and procedures in the hosting of events in micro-destinations.