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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to determine the extent of online communication by festivals regarding their sustainability practices using Cultivation Theory as the framework to determine perceived value creation.Design/methodology/approachA mixed method approach was utilized to achieve data triangulation through a content analysis of websites, content analysis of social media sites as well as interviews.FindingsFindings indicated that 64% of festivals did not communicate any sustainable practices through their websites and only 6% communicated via social media. The most common sustainability practices communicated were waste management and sustainable transportation, yet few festivals engaged in effective, consistent and sufficient marketing of initiatives to festivalgoers. Best practice festivals (having communicated 5.47 initiatives or more) were found to have been significantly more likely than non-best practice festivals to be music festivals and have been in operation longer. Best practice festivals were also more likely than non-best practice festivals to have sustainability engrained into their corporate philosophy via a communicated sustainable vision and mission. Interviews revealed that most festivals did not have a designated role responsible for all sustainable initiatives and the responsibility was often taken on by volunteers or festival organizers. Festival organizers that communicated sustainability initiatives efficiently, consistently, and sufficiently perceived these efforts to benefit the festivals value amongst festivalgoers and host communities. Propensity to communicate sustainability initiatives was found to have been impacted by awareness, categorization, timing, policy and funding.Research limitations/implicationsWhile the findings are limited to the country of Canada and the extent of communication on websites and social media platforms as well as those festivals who participated, interviews helped to overcome these limitations as they gained an understanding of what was undertaken but not necessarily communicated.Practical implicationsThe findings generated from this study could be used as a guide for establishing a benchmark for festivals regarding sustainable communication as well as strategies for overall corporate responsibility. Content regarding sustainability at festivals is scarce, as is information on festival communication. As a result, this paper seeks to understand the sustainable initiatives that are being communicated by festivals.Originality/valueThis is the first time Cultivation Theory was used within a tourism context and may be a useful tool to determine value creation. Through Cultivation Theory, festival organizers believed to have the ability to impact perceived value of the festival by implementing efficient, consistent and sufficient communication of sustainability initiatives.

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Over the last decade, the concept of smart destination management has been gaining momentum (Boes et al, 2016; Buhalis and Amaranggana, 2013, 2015; Del Vecchio et al, 2018a; Gretzel et al, 2015; Ivars-Baidal et al, 2019; Lamsfus and Alzua-Sorzabal, 2013; Xiang et al, 2015). As the tourism industry seeks recovery from the devastations of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, several authors have argued that it is more important than ever for destinations to become “smart” in efforts to build back in a more sustainable and regenerative way (Abbas et al, 2021; Assaf and Scuderi, 2020). Though called on globally to guide destinations through this era of change and adaptation, Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) continue to struggle to obtain adequate and reliable data. Specifically, those representing smaller regions often lack the internal capacity to perform the analyses required to become smart destinations (Dodds and Butler, 2019; Dredge, 2016; Gretzel et al, 2006). While the literature has pointed to Destination Management Information Systems (DMISs) as the solution to smart destination management, current applications have been limited and evidence remains primarily anecdotal. Therefore, guided by Höpken et al’s (2011) Knowledge Destination Framework Architecture, this study aimed to develop and empirically test a DMIS for Ottawa Tourism in its capacity to support smart destination management. Findings indicated that while it serves as a valid process in the development of a DMIS, a DMIS’s capacity to support smart destination management is limited by the quality of its inputs. Opportunities for future knowledge generation and knowledge application in the tourism industry are discussed along with areas for future research.

Ten years ago, in 2012, the United Nations announced a global waste crisis. The festival industry produces a significant amount of waste, however, management practices and policies across locational contexts can help address sustainability goals. This study used Mair and Jago’s (2010) model to understand the drivers and barriers experienced by festival organizers in Canada and New Zealand. Five key findings emerged from this study: (1) similarities in context, drivers, barriers and catalysts exist across these two countries; (2) internal forces were generally more significant drivers than external forces; (3) waste management companies hold the potential to be a significant catalyst; (4) the most prominent barriers were a lack of resources and a lack of knowledge/awareness/skill; (5) political leadership as a contextual factor can support the adoption of festival waste management practices. Recommendations are put forth to leverage drivers and fill management and policy gaps in support of the United Nations SDGs.