Paragliding festival: understanding stakeholder perception of environmental attitudes and tourism performance
International Journal of Event and Festival Management
ISSN: 1758-2954
Article publication date: 8 April 2022
Issue publication date: 7 June 2022
Abstract
Purpose
Paragliding festivals have become significant events in the global tourism space, attracting tourists to local and international destinations. The purpose of this study was to assess environmental attitudes and rate the performance of the paragliding festival of the Kwahu traditional area in Ghana, from the perspectives of four stakeholder groups.
Design/methodology/approach
This study was grounded on the salient stakeholder theory. A quantitative cross-sectional study, with a convenience sampling approach, collected 372 useable questionnaires from four major stakeholders/participants (i.e. Kwahu residents, Kwahu returnees, non-Kwahu Ghanaian tourists and foreigners). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to analyse the data.
Findings
The findings of the Games-Howell post-hoc test show no significant differences among the four stakeholder groups in the festival performance assessment. However, there is a significant statistical difference between the Kwahu residents and foreign tourists regarding environmental attitudes towards the paragliding festival.
Practical implications
Visitors' perceptions and experiences of the environmental performance could inform the planning and execution of festive events that have a direct impact on the natural environment. Policymakers at the community levels must enact environmental protocols that uphold the value propositions of the stakeholders and that of the community at large.
Originality/value
The study expands the application of the salience stakeholder model within festival tourism by highlighting under-represented stakeholder voices in a single study on paragliding festivals in a developing country context.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Funding disclosure: The study was fully funded by the two (2) authors.
Citation
Gyepi-Garbrah, T.F. and Preko, A. (2022), "Paragliding festival: understanding stakeholder perception of environmental attitudes and tourism performance", International Journal of Event and Festival Management, Vol. 13 No. 3, pp. 326-350. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEFM-09-2021-0072
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited