Tourism experience, events and public policies

Abstract

Studies of tourism experience have been on the increase but a great number are applied to companies and organizations, not to regions and destinations. While the focus of these studies remains the same regarding psychological, geographic, social and economic impacts, their application to destinations implies an extra dimension. It is necessary to consider the special characteristics of each destination since these are a merger of services and products. This study discusses the influence of events in the construction of public policies in destinations from the tourism experience perspective. The research theoretically explores the connections between the importance of joining the desires of the tourist while experiencing destinations (tourism experience) and the ability to organize and maintain the implementation of the tourist potential (public policies). The ‘‘intertwining model”, a theoretical policy model for destinations based on event segment development (Dalonso, Lourenço, Remoaldo, & Panosso Netto, 2013) was applied in two Christmas destinations (Gramado, Brazil and Rovaniemi, Lapland, Finland). This model presents a strategic tool for measuring the influence of events and their interface with the different actors involved, while providing governments with milestone theoretical practices for tourism policies applied in destinations.