The role of iconic-historic commemorative events in event tourism: Insights from the 20th and 25th anniversaries of the fall of the Berlin Wall

Abstract

The role of commemorative events for event tourism has received marginal attention.Existing research primarily considers commemorative events for their social and political significance within the nation. This paper argues that commemorative events defined as 'iconic-historic' can play an important role for event tourism. Using the 20 th and 25 th anniversaries of the fall of the Berlin Wall as archetypical examples, this in-depth qualitative study contends that such iconic-historic commemorative events may be as significant as hallmark events within strategic event portfolios. The contributions of this paper are the definition of iconic-historic events as distinct forms of commemorative events; the recognition of the potential significance of these events to event tourism; and the development of a commemorative portfolio which can inform the established event portfolio for strategic event tourism management. The paper concludes by making recommendations for the use of such events in event tourism settings.

Event portfolio management: An emerging transdisciplinary field of theory and praxis

“…For example, Sanders, Laing, and Frost (2015) explored the role of portfolios for post-disaster discovery. Walters and Insch (2018) examined how event portfolio narratives contribute to place marketing, while Viol, Todd, Theodoraki, and Anastasiadou (2018) scrutinized the potential of a commemorative portfolio in event tourism. In another instance, Booth and Cameron (2020) looked at how a portfolio enhances quality of life for families.…”

“… Marketing Intelligence and Planning Empirical Journal Article Demonstrates the central importance of relationships in creating and maintaining an event portfolio. Viol, M., Todd, L., Theodoraki, E., & Anastasiadou, C. (2018) . The role of iconic-historic commemorative events in event tourism: Insights from the 20th and 25th anniversaries of the fall of the Berlin Wall.…”

Exploring the Values of Local Wisdom as Sustainable Tourism Attractions

“…This festival was held to further introduce the culture of the Banceuy Traditional Village to many groups and the media to strengthen its identity as a traditional village. Organizing events can be used for destination promotion and also to form destination brands (Viol et al, 2018).…”

Embracing the event portfolio paradigm in academic discourse and scholarship

“…Indeed, since its publication, a small pile of literature has emerged following this line of inquiry that focuses, instead of single events, on portfolios comprising an array of interrelated events. This literature includes portfolio studies on Gainesville, Florida (Gibson, Kaplanidou, & Kang, 2012), Termoli in Italy (Presenza & Sheehan, 2013), London, Ontario (Clark & Misener, 2015), Portimão in Portugal (Pereira, Mascarenhas, Flores, & Pires, 2015), Barcelona (Richards, 2015), Sunshine Coast in Australia (Gration, Raciti, Getz, & Andersson, 2016), Auckland in New Zealand (Antchak, 2017), Berlin (Viol, Todd, Theodoraki, & Anastasiadou, 2018), and Cook Islands (Dickson, Milne, & Werner, 2018). Further, portfolio-related aspects, approaches and issues were examined (Andersson, Getz, & Mykletun, 2013;Andersson, Getz, Gration, & Raciti, 2017;Antchak & Pernecky, 2017;Dragin-Jensen, Schnittka, & Arkil, 2016;Kelly & Fairley, 2018;Sanders, Laing, & Frost, 2015;Taks et al, 2009;Westerbeek & Linley, 2012;Ziakas & Boukas, 2016).…”