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Based on the Oktoberfest context and memory-dominant logic (MDL), the purpose of the study included assessing drivers of the perceptions of experience uniqueness; if these drivers and experience uniqueness perceptions transformed in memorable experiences; and if memorable experiences translated into enhanced life satisfaction. Based on these relationships, a typology and theory extension is provided integrating practical examples.

A five-factor model was tested using exploratory structural equation modeling and structural equation modeling; the factors included food and beverage quality; connectedness; experience uniqueness; meaningfulness and memorability; and life satisfaction.

Guests connectedness impacted life satisfaction perceptions. Positive perceptions of the experience uniqueness resulted in higher memorability. Food and beverage quality impacted both memorability and life satisfaction. Higher memorability resulted in higher life satisfaction. Attendee nationality impacted the relationship among several of the study’s factors.

Progress was made on assessing the MDL concepts and translating them into quantitative values. Study results supported the impact of connectedness and product quality on perceptions of Oktoberfest experience uniqueness along with the impact of meaningfulness of the experience on life satisfaction perceptions. The authors acknowledged limitations because of one Oktoberfest beer tent focus and the weaknesses of survey methodology, limiting pre- and post-activity reporting and future investigation of moderating effects.

The consideration of higher order impacts (i.e. life satisfaction) is needed when delivering experiences and to entice loyalty and social media apostles. Consumers’ experience connectedness with high-quality perceptions and unique service design are likely to translate to memorable experiences, leading to life satisfaction perceptions. The concept of creating the experience “with” the customer appears to be a key aspect of memorability.

These results tested aspects of MDL and a typology emerged of ideal types as a modified MDL framework driven by two continua: transactional vs experiential quality and experiences designed “to” vs “with” customers.

Legitimacy is a classic theme, quite present in organisational studies in general, but in the field of tourism it still has room to advance. For that reason, this research seeks to delimit the concept of legitimacy and adapt it to the context of tourism events; and seeks to validate a measurement instrument that allows to evaluate of its recognition in the imagination of residents, and to evaluate the impacts of this construct on residents’ trust in the organisers of Brazilian Oktoberfest, on the negative externalities of those events and, ultimately, on the achievement of residents’ loyalty.

The locus of the research are the cities of Blumenau, Santa Catarina and Santa Cruz do Sul, Santa Catarina, both located in southern Brazil, whose residents answered an online questionnaire about the legitimacy of the Oktoberfest held there. A total of 365 valid questionnaires were collected, tabulated in statistical software and interpreted using exploratory-confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling.

The results show that festival legitimacy is a theoretical construct that can be measured as either a first-order or second-order factor, consisting of three factors, called moral legitimacy, pragmatic legitimacy and cognitive legitimacy.

This research provides a valid and reliable tool for assessing local residents' acceptance of ethno-cultural festivals. It also shows variations in the perception of legitimacy, demonstrating that this can influence other aspects of residents' perception of ethnocultural events.

The purpose of this paper is to empirically evaluate residents’ perceptions about the impacts caused by Oktoberfest, in Santa Cruz do Sul, Brazil. More specifically, in addition to identifying how the residents of the destination perceive the impacts promoted by the festival, the study also seeks to validate an instrument that allows the objective measurement of the phenomenon over time.

The data collection instrument is composed of 25 items adapted from Gursoy et al. (2004), Prayag et al. (2013) and Small (2007), and 10 questions obtaining the sociodemographic characteristics of respondents. In data collection, the authors used a non-probability convenience sampling method. This gathering was in September 2016, reaching up to 520 valid questionnaires. The data analysis included mean tests, exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis.

Results show management and academic implications. Three dimensions were identified representing the festival’s advantages (economic, identity and socio-integrative benefits), and two other factors corresponding to the drawbacks (environmental costs and psychological and social costs), perceived by residents. The analysis of the factors identified through the various demographic cuts identified the existence of some crucial differences of evaluation between the residents of different genders or ethnic groups, and different ages or length of residence in the municipality. On the other hand, no significant differences were found regarding perceived costs and benefits of the event, among respondents from different civil status, schooling levels or family income.

From the academic point of view, the work offers a reliable instrument to measure the costs and benefits of a consolidated festival, in the view of residents, that can be replicated in the destination studied, or even adapted to other tourist destinations.

The present research seeks to contribute to the existing literature on the impacts of festivals in destinations, combining the theme with residents’ perception, seeking not only to identify the residents’ perceptions about the festival but also to relate these to the characteristics of the population.

Knowledge of consumers’ perception of foreign food products can be a key element for successful international marketing strategies, as operating on a regional or global level requires deep knowledge about international markets. Purchase decisions for most products are strongly linked to a person’s attitude towards these products, which are determined by beliefs and meanings associated with the product. In this context, the purpose of this paper is to analyze and compare the perception of Bavarian food products in an international context.

The qualitative technique of concept mapping has been used to uncover and visualise consumers’ semantic networks regarding Bavarian food products. Two European countries – Bulgaria and Romania – as well as two Asian ones – China and South Korea – are exemplary selected for this study.

The results clearly show that the two frequently mentioned associations across all four countries are the same while the other associations which were enumerated show a greater heterogeneity. Furthermore the study provides empirical evidence that the associations regarding Bavarian food products of the European countries are more similar to each other than the Asian ones. South Koreans have more indirect than direct associations with Bavarian food products and Chinese semantic networks regarding Bavarian food products are the least complex. These findings are underpinned by network analysis.

This study adds to the existing literature on country image by exploring international consumer’s cognitive networks regarding Bavarian food products by means of concept mapping.

This paper aims to investigate the cultural meanings of excessive drinking in three different countries with different levels of alcohol use chosen as case studies of wider geographies representing Northern (Denmark), Southern (Italy) and Eastern (Estonia) Europe.

Data were collected according to the Reception Analytical Group Interview method, using video clips as stimuli to enhance comparability. Eight online focus groups were organized in each country for a total number of 128 participants. Symbolic boundaries defining what drinking patterns are socially acceptable were then analysed to look at cross-national variations.

Results show how different conceptualizations of excessive drinking persist, although a convergence process among drinking patterns is also observed, which suggests that differences mainly depend on meanings and values attributed to intoxication. These are both rooted in the traditional drinking cultures and affected by ongoing social and economic change processes.

Because of the chosen research approach, the research results may lack generalizability, even at country level, as there are differences also within the same drinking culture; however, addressing these differences was beyond the scope of the present study, which aimed to contribute to understanding persisting differences in European drinking culture despite different drivers seem to act for globalization of drinking habits.

The paper includes implications for the development of tailored and effective prevention messages, considering rooted attitudes and cultural values attached to drinking and drunkenness in different European geographies, which are also related to conceptualizations of risks and pleasure.

This paper fulfils an identified need to understand persisting differences in alcohol-related behaviours and outcome in different European countries emerging from quantitative data.

‘Quality rather than quantity’ aptly summed up the opinion expressed by exhibitors at the Productronica '93 exhibition in Munich from 9–13 November. The effects of the recession from whose clutches the majority of European countries are finding it difficult to escape had a visible impact on this, the 10th International Trade Fair for Electronics Production. Regular Productronica‐goers could not fail to have appreciated the effects at the exhibition itself, where aisles were wider, seating areas more generous, many companies had more modest stands than usual, some big names were conspicuous by their absence, and queues at the Messegelände entrances and Imbiss stalls were shorter or non‐existent. Furthermore, the whole Munich experience that goes with Productronica was different — less jostling for space on the early‐morning U‐Bahn journey, no queuing for the succulent pork knuckles at the Hax'nbauer and considerably more elbow‐room in the ever convivial Hofbräuhaus. It would be interesting to know if that other great Munich institution, the Oktoberfest, experienced similar effects or if it remains immune to fluctuations in the European economy.

No study to date has addressed the construct of event tourist experience value and there is no well-accepted value measurement method. This study aims to examine the underlying dimensions of event tourist experience value from a holistic perspective.

The research process consists of two steps. First, the dimensions of event tourist experience value are investigated by using grounded theory and content analysis of travel blogs. The second step is to explore and verify the scale of event tourist experience value.

The items show that event tourist experience value can be comprehensively understood from three dimensions: functional value (functional factors); hedonic value (relaxation, escape, restoration and interaction); and symbolic value (social prestige, belonging and self-transcendence).

The findings are useful indicators explaining events attendance, and can help event organizers and destination managers to better understand the needs of tourists and design event experiences in a more sophisticated way.

This work integrates a series of varied events to suggest a holistic view of event tourist experience value, which provides a theoretical basis for other scholars to compare and monitor findings in this field.

Overtourism is a term that has emerged in media over the past few years. Issues of carrying capacity that were limited to tourism sites have recently spread to places with no tourism background. The development of new technologies and network hospitality (NH) has enabled a blurring of roles. Residents and tourists are more than often using the same infrastructure and spaces creating tensions. This reinforces issues related to ownership and citizenship within a new context. However, there is only a limited number of studies linked to urban overtourism, and a categorisation of cities is necessary to apprehend the phenomenon. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the current narratives of overtourism in cities and their impact on selected stakeholders.

This conceptual paper uses a qualitative approach to investigate the case of several cities bearing signs of overtourism. It uses data from public and private sources (statistics, press, city marketing, etc.) from six cities of various size in Europe in which the media reported overtourism syndrome. The data were analysed through a thematic analysis, enabling a categorisation and a typology of urban overtourism.

Findings show that overtourism is a notion constructed from various aspects, including recently added supply sources such as NH and low-cost carriers. The urban morphology and branding strategy play a major role in the sentiment of overtourism.

The study indicates the need for further research considering the urban destination in a holistic manner, rather than approaching it at the tourist site scale. A further quantitative research could test the model of urban overtourism taxonomy.

The developed urban overtourism typology and framework of analysis. The argument of using the urban morphology understanding and technology to address urban destination overtourism.