CC BY
15
UDC 338.484.6
DOI: 10.24412/1995-0411-2021-4-73-83
Tatiana A. KOLCHUGINA
Pyatigorsk State University (Pyatigorsk, Stavropol Krai, Russia) PhD in Philosophy, Associate Professor; e-mail: [email protected]
Alina N. DAVYDENKO
Pyatigorsk State University (Pyatigorsk, Stavropol Krai, Russia) Master's degree student; e-mail: [email protected]
NEW FORMATS AND TECHNOLOGIES FOR ORGANIZING GASTRONOMIC EVENT TOURS IN THE CAUCASIAN MINERAL WATERS
Abstract. The work is aimed at scientific and practical justifying the theoretical and methodological approaches to the event gastronomic tourism organization and assessing their impact on the socio-economic development of the region. The hypothesis of the study is in idea that event tourism can be an effective method of a socio-economic development of a tourist region and an important communication factor in attracting tourists. Providing a planned and systematic approach to the preparation and implementation of event activities, considering the vital interests of both tourists and the local population, is a key to success of event tourism. The events included in the program of the event gastronomic tour should be developed on the platform of identical regional gastronomic and cultural-historical resources, in accordance with a professionally developed scenario. The marketing strategy for promoting newsworthy events should be based on the principles of the interaction with the media on a mutually beneficial long-term basis and а subsequent summing up with replication of rewarding experience. Within the framework of the research, the authors have developed a methodological platform and a model concept for organizing newsworthy events of a gastronomic format, including organizational, marketing and production blocks. The artcle offers an effective program for the promotion of a gastronomic event and identifies its main marketing tools. As a result of the study, by methods of a system analysis, generalization and synthesis, the authors have developed technologies for organizing newsworthy events, and proposed an algorithm for assessing the effectiveness of the social and economic impact of event tourism on the economy and social environment of regions exemplified by the federal resorts of the Caucasian Mineral Waters.
Keywords: event tourism, event, gastronomic tourism, event management, culinary festival, gastronomic identity, gastronomic brand, food project.
Citation: Kolchugina, T. A., & Davydenko, A. N. (2021). New formats and technologies for organizing gastronomic event tours in the Caucasian Mineral Waters. Service and Tourism: Current Challenges, 15(4), 73-83. doi: 10.24412/1995-0411-2021-4-73-83.
Article History Disclosure statement
Received 20 September 2021 No potential conflict of interest was reported by
Accepted 3 December 2021 the author(s).
© 2021 the Author(s)
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0). To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons. org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
UDC 338.484.6
DOI: 10.24412/1995-0411-2021-4-73-83
КОЛЬЧУГИНА Татьяна Анатольевна
Пятигорский государственный университет (Пятигорск, Ставропольский край, РФ)
кандидат философских наук, доцент; e-mail: [email protected]
ДАВЫДЕНКО Алина Николаевна
Пятигорский государственный университет (Пятигорск, Ставропольский край, РФ) магистрант; e-mail: [email protected]
НОВЫЕ ФОРМАТЫ И ТЕХНОЛОГИИ ОРГАНИЗАЦИИ ГАСТРОНОМИЧЕСКИХ ИВЕНТ-ТУРОВ В РЕГИОНЕ КАВКАЗСКИХ МИНЕРАЛЬНЫХ ВОД
Основной целью работы является научно-практическое обоснование теоретических и методических подходов к организации событийного гастрономического туризма, а также оценка их влияния на социально-экономическое развитие региона. В качестве гипотезы исследования следует утверждение, что событийный туризм будет являться эффективным методом социально-экономического развития туристского региона и важным коммуникационным фактором привлечения туристов, если: будет обеспечен плановый и системный подход к подготовке и реализации событийных мероприятий, учитывающий насущные интересы как туристов, так и местного населения; мероприятия, входящие в программу событийного гастрономического тура, будут разрабатываться на платформе идентичных региональных гастрономических и культурно-исторических ресурсов, в соответствии с профессионально разработанным сценарием; маркетинговая стратегия продвижения событийных мероприятий будет строиться на принципах взаимодействия со средствами массовой информации на взаимовыгодной долгосрочной основе и последующего подведения итогов с тиражированием успешного опыта. В рамках исследования разработана методическая платформа и предложена концепция модели организации событийных мероприятий гастрономического формата, включающая организационный, маркетинговый и производственный блоки. В работе предложена эффективная программа продвижения гастрономического ивента и определены ее основные маркетинговые инструменты. В результате исследования посредством применения методов системного анализа, обобщения и синтеза авторами разработаны технологии организации событийных мероприятий и предложен алгоритм оценки эффективности социального и экономического воздействия событийного туризма на экономику и социальную среду регионов на примере федеральных курортов Кавказских Минеральных Вод.
Ключевые слова: событийный туризм, ивент, гастрономический туризм, event-менеджмент, кулинарный фестиваль, гастрономическая идентичность, гастрономический брэнд, фуд-проект.
Для цитирования: Кольчугина ТА., Давыденко А.Н. Новые форматы и технологии организации гастрономических ивент-туров в регионе Кавказских Минеральных Вод // Современные проблемы сервиса и туризма. 2021. Т.15. №4. С. 73-83. DOI: 10.24412/1995-0411-2021-4-73-83.
Дата поступления в редакцию: 20 сентября 2021 г. Дата утверждения в печать: 3 декабря 2021 г.
Introduction
Today, all over the world, there is a sustained tendency towards an increasing interest in newsworthy events on behalf of tourists, as they can get much more positive emotions from traveling than from a simple beach or sightseeing holiday. This is also facilitated by a modern person's mode of life, which dictates the need to periodically break away from the industrial-urban environment, accompanied, as a rule, by a strong emotional and stressful load, and immersion in a different emotionally colored environment. The only question is what events may be of interest to each specific tourist and how such a trip should be organized.
As modern practice shows, certain events are the most important motivating factor in tourism and significantly affect the development of tourist destinations. Through the broadcast of socio-economic achievements, demonstration of historical and cultural opportunities, lobbying for commercial interests, newsworthy events acquire an important socio-economic significance and have a substantial influence on the competitiveness of a tourist center. During this period, the activities of all objects of the tourist infrastructure and related enterprises become more active in the region, the consumers' demand for goods and services significantly increases, and there is a revival of local cultural traditions, customs, and the development of folk culture. It is known that in the world tour operating systems there is a certain practice of enhancing the recognition of the region by organizing the events, attracting tourists to various mass shows and cultural events.
The theme of the events that attract tourists can vary from the traditional ones, acceptable for absolutely any region, to unique, characteristic for only a particular area. Within the framework of this article, an analysis of event tourism technologies has been carried out as exemplified by one of the most attractive topics related to the category of the essential human wants, i.e. food. However, it should be noted that, being the main motivation for traveling, the problem of gastronomy is directly related to the national culture and history of the people. A.G. Vakhromeeva gives the following definition of this travel type:
"Ethnogastronomic tourism involves traveling around the world in order to get acquainted with the uniqueness and originality of the national cuisine, as well as local traditions. The main motive of the trip is the desire to taste a traditional dish or product characteristic of the area" [18, p. 34].
The classic Caucasian cuisine is a recognized brand that has lots of fans around the world. However, the acquaintance with it, even among the Russian peoples, is rather superficial, since each of the peoples of the multinational Caucasus has a unique culture and their own gastronomic traditions, which can be presented as a part of an event tour. The Caucasian Mineral Waters (Caucasian resorts) is a popular resort center in Russia, on the territory of which there are all the prerequisites and infrastructural possibilities for the event tours organization. It should be noted that, despite the activity demonstrated in recent years, the center of regional event tourism is just beginning to form, overcoming the whole range of problems. The most important conditions that give impetus to the development of this segment in the region are creative and innovative contents of event programs, the improvement of technological tools to ensure the coordinated work of organizers and contractors. However, above all, the region needs professionals with experience in this market segment. At the same time, the implementation of newsworthy events should be taken as one of the alternative possibilities for the development of the destination, taking into account the degree of their influence on the activities of the enterprises related to tourism; the size of the profit received by the economy of the region should be considered as an optimality criterion. All of the aforesaid confirms the relevance and socio-economic significance of the problem under study.
Analysis of the research published papers
The problems of socio-economic effectiveness of newsworthy events have been mainly developed in the works by foreign authors. In this context, the works by M. Bonn [5], D. Greenberg [4], B. Ritchie [12], and V. Faulkner [6] can be noted. Adapting these studies to the domestic practice of the event tourism, it is worth pointing out the existing contradiction: on the one hand, a large num-
ber of newsworthy events, including world-class ones, are held annually in Russia, but due to the lack of a methodological base, their effectiveness is assessed rather superficially. It is fair to say that the effectiveness analysis of social and economic indicators, carried out following the results of the 2018 FIFA World Cup and widely circulated in the media, should be excluded from this statement. However, this is rather an exception to the rule.
A. Shumovich is considered one of the most famous domestic experts in the field of the event industry. In his research, he formulates unified recommendations for the application of event technologies to any kind of event. In this case, the author refers to the scheme of the event life cycle, developed by J. Goldblatt [7], as well as the principles of an applied project management proposed in the work by W. Halzbauer, E. Yettinger, and B. Knaus. In this work, the authors propose to consider the preparation of any newsworthy event as the implementation of a unique project for solving the target problem with the specified parameters, taking into account time, personnel and financial constraints. Separately, the stage of "making a decision to keep the event" is highlighted, which follows the sequence of planned moves [9].
Separately, it is worth noting the study by S. Lemer [11], in which the author focuses on the stages of the life cycle of a newsworthy event, and examines the objects the event-technologist works with: finance, taxes, personnel, suppliers, marketing, resources, etc. All these make it possible to determine the structure of the processes implemented in the framework of the event management.
The analysis of the processes and stages of creating special events is carried out by a number of other event tourism experts. For example, in the textbook by G.L. Tulchinsky et al., the number of such stages is 14 [17, pp. 193-194], and the researchers D. Rumyantsev and N. Frankel give the life cycle of an event in the form of an implementation of an algorithm that includes 7 key stages [13].
The works by O. V. Alekseeva are quite widely presented in the bibliographic field; they are also most frequently cited in the area of theory and practice of the event tourism organization. The author offers the event
management tools and analyzes the forms of the impact of newsworthy events on the tourism development [1]. In this aspect, it is worth noting the works by A.B. Babkin, who analyzes the prerequisites for the emergence of special tourism types and describes the world regions of the event tourism [2]. T.A. Kolchugina and K. A. Isakhanyan [10] analyze the degree of the event tourism influence on the socio-economic development of regions. In the work by I.A. Suslova and L.S. Morozova, the key trends in the event tourism have been considered, and a brief analysis of the National Award results in the field of the event tourism "Russia Event Awards" for 2012-2015, has been carried out [16].
A scientific investigation devoted to the problem of gastronomic tourism, should be allocated to a separate group.
The trends and features of gastronomic tourism development were studied in the work by I.A. Suslova et al. In particular, the analysis of domestic gastronomic tourism resources has been carried out making it possible to ensure a stable flow of travelers and create combined tours that increase the syn-ergetic effect of tourism [15].
The work by N.V. Shcherbakova and O.V. Zhdanova is devoted to the problem of promoting a tourist destination through the implementation of gastronomic routes as exemplified in the resources of the Rostov region. In it, the authors objectively state that the popularity of tourist centers that activate the entire tourist system is largely due to their gastronomic identity [14].
It is especially worth dwelling on various formats of gastronomic tourism, including both large-scale newsworthy events in the field of food destinations and local gastronomic tours. In this regard, the work by G.A. Gomilevskaya and V.G. Den, in which the authors not only define the role of culinary festivals in increasing the tourist attractiveness of regions, their influence on their image and popularization of local products, but also propose their own models of organizing a culinary festival [8]. Foreign experience in organizing gastronomic tourism is studied in the work by K.A. Balynin, on the basis of which the author gives recommendations for adapting foreign culinary brands to Russian circumstances [3].
At the same time, it should be noted that in domestic science, the problem of the effective development of event tourism is a relatively new direction that has not been the subject of a special scientific research yet. In particular, there is an extremely insufficient number of studies that consider this problem in the context of merging the directions of the event and gastronomic travel formats. There is practically no methodological base on the issue under consideration; there are no established standards and well-established algorithms for organizing large newsworthy events designed to attract a great number of tourists at a time. The methods of assessing the economic effectiveness of this tourism type have not been investigated; no methodology for analyzing the impact of events on the social sphere of the society and the environment of the destination has been developed. Therefore, the problem requires a further scholarly conceptualization.
Methodology Within the framework of this study, a dialectical-materialistic approach, a general scientific method of analysis, methods of comparison and synthesis have been used in order to solve the tasks set. When considering specific research tasks, a comparison method in which phenomena were surveyed in comparison with each other, was used. Besides, a descriptive method involving a description of the identified phenomena, a method of generalization and systematization of scientific research, advanced Russian and foreign experience in the field of event tourism and event management - all these methods and approaches have also been successfully used. As for the group of private methods, the ones
of economic modeling and comparative economic analysis have been applied.
The results of the research
Over the past several years, an increase in tourist traffic has been observed in the Stavropol Territory, and there are good forecasts for its further growth. For the purpose of the state support and financial assistance to the tourism industry in the Stavropol Territory, several state programs for the development of tourism have been adopted. In particular, within the framework of the current Subprogram "Development of resort infrastructure and tourist clusters in the Stavropol Territory" of the Stavropol Territory state program "Tourist and Recreational Complex", the volume of the financial support for the tourism industry will amount to 2,549,133.27 thousand rubles, including the regional budget of 1,071,431.00 thousand rubles. Fig. 2.1 shows the dynamics of financial receipts over the years.
The largest recreational and tourist subject of the Stavropol Territory is the Federal cluster of recreational and tourist type of the Caucasian Mineral Waters (Kavkazskie Min-eralnye Vody) created based on a health-improving component. However, the region is expected to actively develop other types of tourism, making it possible to diversify recreation and to tart it up for a wide range of consumers. The potential of the tourist and recreational zone is so enormous that it is necessary not only to determine the vectors, but also to set benchmarks for the tourist development of the Caucasian Mineral Waters resort cities. In this variety of species, event tourism is one of the priorities, as it makes it possible to not only attract the widest possible range of visitors to the region, and, in
350000 300000 250000 200000 150000 100000 50000 0 20044 1 2019 г. 277860 289764 ^ llll 2020 г. 2021 г. 2022 г. 8
Fig. 1 - Dynamics of financial receipts for the development ofto urism in the Stavropol Territory, ths rubles
the off-season, provide an additional attractiveness of the tourist center, comprising the guests who come here for the purpose of medical treatment.
Over recent years, event tourism in Stavropol Territory has been one of the most promising and dynamically developing. So, according to the information on the official website of the Ministry of Tourism and Health Resorts of Stavropol Territory, in 2019, about 250 newsworthy events were organized in Stavropol Territory, Top-20 of them were included in the National Events Calendar. Considering the tourist specialization of the facil-
As the table shows, the subject matter of the events held in the resort region is quite diverse, creative, entirely meeting the needs and interests of various target groups. The event organizers successfully demonstrate their creative potential, promoting the unique cultural, historical, sports, ethnic resources of the territory, giving a new impetus to the development of the tourist destination.
The calendar of newsworthy event tourism in the Stavropol Territory is annually replenished with new programs, some of which are becoming regular ones. As a result of the analysis, the relative identity and multidi-mensionality of festivals with original themes have been identified. Fans of newsworthy event tourism will be able to visit the "Healing Mud" festival in Zheleznovodsk. In Pyatigorsk it will be possible to get to the "Landscape Design" festival and the "Jazz" festival. In Kislovodsk, the Theater Festival "Water Society" takes place. The following annual
ity, most of the included events take place in the Caucasian Mineral Waters (Kavminvody). It is most in need of organizing events of this kind that can significantly tart up the rest and solve the image problems.
Undoubtedly, it is necessary for the historical and cultural heritage of the resort region to be promoted. However, this problem should be solved in a comprehensive manner, considering the needs of various segments of consumers and depending on the newsworthy event scale. Table 1 shows the events picture of various levels held in the region in recent years.
festivals are becoming traditional: "Opening of the Spa Season"; the aeronautics festival; the international music festival MusicAirFest; the Drumfest "Festival of Drummers"; the international festival of Caucasian dance "Pearl of Russia"; "Russian Cup in Air Biathlon" and a lot of other dramatic events. In order to popularize the region and spread the positive experience of holding event tours, a calendar of top 50 events in the region has already been released. The regional cultural events are becoming a resource that can rank high in priorities of the territory. According to Vladimir Vladimirov, the Governor of the Stavropol Territory, newsworthy event tourism can increase the yearly growth in the tourist flow to the cities of the Caucasian Mineral Waters from 9 to 20%.
It is worth noting that holding thematic multi-scale events is not only a means of forming a diverse cultural environment and diversifying the local economy. That also con-
Table 1 - Scale classification of Caucasian Mineral Waters events
NEWSWORTHY EVENTS SCALE
International All-Russian Interregional Regional
- International Film Festival "Hero and Time"; - International Music Festival "MUSIC AIR FEST-2020"; - Aeolian Harp Theater and Music Festival and Vocal Competition; - Slavic Literary Forum "Golden Knight"; - Trophy-sprint «FITUR Cup». - Poetry Festival; Lermontov Ball; - Pyatigorsk Autumn Theater Festival; Aeronautics Festival "Caucasian Mineral Waters - the Pearl of Russia"; - Festival in the Historical Performance Style on the Kurortny Boulevard in Kislovodsk. - "Healing Mud" festival; - North Caucasian Youth Forum "Mashuk"; - Russian extreme mountain bike championship; - Tourist Forum "Caucasian Health Resort"; - Historical Festival-Reconstruction "Iron People" - "Iron Hook" Sport Fishing Festival; - "Adjika" Gastronomic Festival; - Marathon "Kavkaz Run"; - Ethnic Festival "Day of the Cossack"; - Theater Festival "Water Society"; - Multimedia Festival with 3D-Mapping Show Elements
tributes to the creation of a favorable investment climate, the formation of an attractive image of the resorts, which is especially important in the context of the resort and tourist orientation of the region. However, the existing practice of organizing events shows the need to expand their thematic range, form a scientific and methodological platform, and provide a professional support and an advertising promotion of the ongoing projects.
A gastronomic festival can be considered as a win-win option for an annual thematic event, which can maximize its potential at its full capacity and attract significant tourist flows. One of the essential conditions for the existence of regions with a developed sphere of tourism, is known to be the availability of an original cuisine, while, according to analysts, about 30% of the money brought in by tourists is left in local catering establishments. At the same time, the "Caucasian cuisine" that has become a well-known brand as it is, can become a reason for making a tourist trip. One cannot but take into account the fact that the Stavropol Territory is traditionally considered one of the main agricultural territories of the Russian Federation, the agro-industrial complex of which is characterized by a steady increase in production volumes, dynamically boosting the production of food products, providing the country's food market by 15%.
According to Rosstat, on January 1, 2020, the resident population of the Caucasian Mineral Waters was 1,093,201 people. The representatives of more than 100 nationalities live here. Due to its special geostrategic position and being at the junction of Eurasian civilizations, the North Caucasian cuisine has absorbed numerous gastronomic traditions of different nations. Therefore, tourists, along with the traditional cuisine, have a wonderful possibility to find and experience the true authentic gastronomic taste, which is the crucial essence of tourism. Currently, the gastronomic festival "Oh, yes! Food!" organized under franchise in 11 cities of Russia, is taking place in the Caucasian Mineral Waters. However, within the framework of event tourism in the resort region, this festival plays an insignificant, secondary role and demonstrates a rather low interest of people. The main reason for a low demand for this proposal might be the
lack of a creative approach, a unified strategy and an insufficient professional organization of the event.
To hold a large-scale gastronomic event that can become traditional, it is necessary to work out an original well-structured program with a social philosophy, focused on the needs of mass participants taking into account the interests of the local community. A gastronomic festival should contribute to the organization of residents and guests' cultural leisure in the resort region. The realization of the creative potential of professionals working in the field of gastronomy, the demonstration of new trends in the field of healthy nutrition, the creation of a unique environment for the communication of the people who are keen on gastronomy - both professionals and amateurs - all these are to promote large-scale gastronomic events.
In addition, event tourism with a gastronomic theme can become an effective platform for promoting local environmentally friendly and healthy agricultural products that combine tourism technologies with interests of the business community working in the segment of production and sales of agricultural products. As a part of these newsworthy events, the traditional annual meetings of "sellers" and "buyers" of local agricultural products can be organized for mutual problems discussion and contract execution.
Thus, a global goal of the gastronomic event, alongside with the creation of a new event resource, is to contribute to the solution of socio-economic problems, as well as the formation of a favorable image and popularization of the tourist region through the promotion of unique gastronomic resources. The following can be identified as the crucial tasks of the event:
- popularization of agricultural products of the Stavropol Territory and promotion of local cuisine brands based on natural local products that can compete with unhealthful foreign gastronomic trends;
- acquaintance of festival guests and the region residents with local experienced professionals and novice culinary specialists, assistance in the development of local enterprises that implement public catering services and promising food projects;
- encouragement of local entrepreneurs working in the food sector (food service and catering) to create original concepts for gastronomic enterprises, thereby developing the food culture in the region, demonstrating a modern interpretation of dishes according to new tastes and technologies in a convenient format of resort cities;
- development of local gastronomic tourism in the region, popularization of healthy food, demonstration of its present-day gestalt and creative presentation;
- activation of the local market for the production and sale of edible souvenirs with a Caucasian theme, which can become the signature line of the region.
Practitioners working in the field of event tourism argue that a business event execution should be divided into three main stages: "pre-event"; "event"; "post-event". Each of these stages has its own specifics.
The "pre-event" stage is the most labor intensive and begins 6-9 months before the beginning of the event, providing interested parties with maximum information, gradually increasing the information activity as the starting date of the festival nears. To maximize the awareness of potential target audiences, event organizers should develop an effective marketing communications program. The first step is to determine the parameters of the target audience and choose the optimal communication channels. The following key segments of gastronomic event consumers should be highlighted:
- the tourists including vacationers of sanatoriums, and the guests arriving to participate in the festival program on purpose;
- the resident population;
- production and organizational structures working in the field of gastronomy (experts, restaurateurs, critics, food startups, food bloggers);
- farming enterprises providing the region with healthy and safe products.
- In accordance with the socio-demo-graphic parameters of the potential audience, it is necessary to select the optimal communication channels. The most effective tool for promoting an event is its official website, where comprehensive information about the event is posted, the possibility of advertising campaigns and statistics control are provided.
The recommended information blocks of the website are:
- mission and goals of the festival, objective and comprehensive information about its organizers;
- gastronomic culture and gastronomic experience of the Caucasus: history, authentic food, information from experts, gastronomic tours, culinary schools, catering establishments, recipes for dishes and drinks of Caucasian cuisine from famous chefs;
- a gastronomic map and a gastronomic calendar of the Caucasus, portals about gastronomic events with easy navigation;
- festival participants, partners and sponsors: information about chefs, enterprises participating in the festival with elements of promoting products of local producers;
- a festival program;
- infrastructural tourist facilities (Development Assistance Committee, i.e. DAC), which provide festival visitors with accommodation discounts;
- an address and contact block.
Social networks (Facebook, Instagram, VKontakte, Odnoklassniki) will clearly segment the potential audience for a targeted impact on them in thematic communities using paid posts. This type of promotion is not costly, at the same time it will be as relevant as possible. Attention to the festival can be attracted by organizing press tours. According to their results, through the publication of articles and announcements, information about the upcoming festival will be disseminated through various sources, prompting interest in the event. Establishing long-term partnerships with the media, where the target audience of the Project is concentrated, as well as sending a press release to regional thematic media, will help to get the necessary traffic. An important promotion tool is a cooperation with tour operators, hotels and transportation carriers.
Participation of organizers in the annual national award in the field of event tourism "RussianEventAwards" can become an effective way to promote the event and generate interest in events on the part of the public sphere and authorities. In case the event is awarded the status of a national project, it will receive information, financial and PR support
from the federal calendar of events, "Eventsln-Russia", created on the initiative of the Ministry of Culture of Russia. The Ministry promotes the most promising events at the online exhibition "RED", presenting them to foreign tour operators and posting them on the tourist portals "VisitRussia" and "RussiaTravel".
A significant support for the promotion of the Festival will be the participation of the organizers in specialized exhibitions, with the demonstration of their own stands, within which promotional materials about the festival and products related to its theme are distributed. An important way of promotion is the formation of a ready-made tourist offer (package) for travel agencies, distribution of materials through information desks at airports and railway stations, as well as using non-standard methods, in particular, creating viral advertising through interesting information fake news on the internet.
At the "pre-event" stage, it is also necessary to identify and use possible additional actions that stimulate potential tourists to visit the event. These incentives include:
- inviting authoritative professionals in the field of gastronomy, media persons (for example, John Warren, the host of the NTV program "Let's Go, Let's Eat!"), food bloggers, and organizing small conference events, business consultations, and private meetings with them;
- organizing free of charge excursions on behalf of the travel agencies - partners of the event, for the tourists registered on the festival website in advance;
- conducting online lotteries and contests that give the winners of the festival an opportunity to cook a dish with a famous guest, win gastronomic prizes with the symbols of the event;
- the use of preferential prices for the participants in partner hotels of the festival, in particular, the use of the offer of the Unified City Discount System of Pyatigorsk - the "City" card. According to this card, tourists receive an individual price in the best stores, restaurants, coffee shops, fur centers, jewelry salons, children's centers, photo studios, pharmacies, beauty salons, SPA, fitness clubs, car services, etc.
The "event" stage is holding an event. When developing a package of services
within the framework of the festival, it is necessary, first, to be guided by the needs of the main target segment. As a rule, for the comfortable holding of various events, it is necessary to have special venues for local events, including stadiums, concert- and playgrounds, equipped with modern technical means, adapted to the needs of the mass audience.
The organization of a major event requires an integrated approach, including the availability of trained tour guides, escort interpreters, event moderators. It is necessary to provide for the possibility of organizing additional types of recreation by single applications; felicitous locations of venues for holding events in accordance with the expected number of participants, the availability of sanitary points, etc.; ensuring the operation of retail outlets with souvenir products.
An additional infrastructure including accommodation facilities, trade facilities, banks, representative offices of insurance companies, transport, animation, rental and other enterprises, is also important. Table 2 contains specific requirements for the infrastructure that must be taken into account when organizing event programs.
The organization of a festival of a similar level is impossible without the involvement of a team of sponsors and partners with a positive commercial reputation. In turn, the participation of commercial partners in the festival program helps them to boost the recognition of their brands and products, increase the loyalty of present-day customers, attract new consumers, and solidify the image of their own. The status of a gastronomic festival presupposes the inclusion of the maximum number of PR resources and an active interaction with the press. Media partners of the event play an important role in the process of information broadcasting about the event, receiving the exclusive content (interviews with famous participants and media persons) and mentioning them in other media in return.
The "post-event" stage implies feedback and a full-scale analysis of the event results. At this stage, reportages and reports about the event are posted on the official websites of the event and its information partners.
This stage implies mailing post-releases with expert assessments in the media, the publication of photo and video reports, and links to media reports on the official website and in social networks, reposts of epy participants' reviews, mailing letters of gratitude to active participants of the Festival. During this period, it is important to organize broad-
- the number and geography of the festival participants;
- the number of purchased tours to participate in the event;
- the number of bookings by the DAC at the festival time;
- coverage and activity of the audience in social media (likes, reposts) during the event, identifying the tone range of the event participants' comments;
- the number of publications with the festival hashtag in the mass media and social media networks;
- attendance statistics of the festival website in social media;
- frequencies of mention in the media; that consists in monitoring publications related to the theme of the festival.
Availability of feedback makes it possible for the organizers of the event to obtain confirmation about the event participants' satisfaction
casting of expert opinions and impressions of high-powered guests about the importance of the event for the region and the country as a whole in mass media and social networks. An essential aspect of the final stage will be the analysis of the event socio-economic efficiency; it should include the following kinds of obtaining information:
with the quality of the events included in the festival program for the possibility of its further adjustment; analyze the errors and make up a package of measures to correct them. Following the results of the festival, it is advisable to organize a conference on the feasibility of holding such an event in the future. At the same time, post termination of the event, it is important for the visitors to stay in the region, get acquainted with tourist and recreational resources, purchase additional services and recommend their relatives and friends to visit the recreation center.
Conclusion The conducted research makes it possible to assert that the development of event tourism in our country can have a significant socio-economic effect. Its development contributes to the growth of revenues of regional budgets and the effective use of the tourist destination potential. The implementation of newsworthy events in tourist regions has a synergistic effect that ac-
Table 2 - Requirements for the tourist infrastructure of event tours
Infrastructure element Requirements for organization of services
Collective accommodation facilities Availability of a developed network of collective accommodation facilities of various comfort levels and price categories, located in the immediate vicinity of the venues, for thematic events
Organization of tourists' catering - availability of food outlets including fast food, children's vegetarian, kosher, halal kinds of food; - providing alternative forms of food according to the degree of comfort and price categories; - ensuring the possibility of organizing street trading according to the fast food system; - organization of work in restaurants and cafes in the region with a local national cuisine
Transport services - availability of a developed transport network in the event region; - ensuring the possibility of uninterrupted transportation of tourists to the event sites at any time of day or night; - the possibility of leasing and hiring vehicles
Information and technical support - providing event venues with necessary equipment and modern technical means for the uninterrupted operation; - development of applications for mobile devices with tour themes, events, convenient navigation; - availability of informative and presentable event calendar, placed in accessible place; - non-stop information broadcasting about the course of the event through various information resources; - availability of the Internet site containing complete and dynamically updated information about the event
tivates the work of the entire tourist sector and related lines of business, developing an external favorable image of the territory, increasing its tourist force of attraction.
The main factors of a high-quality organization of event tourism are as follows: transport accessibility of tourist territories, availability of unique places of interest in the region, a market for accommodation facilities differentiated by cost, provision of additional tourist services such as animation venues, tourist information centers, and social services. All these characteristics are in full possession of the resort region of the Caucasian Mineral Waters. The platform for creating
event tours should be the unique culture of the area with the originality of the peoples inhabiting it. It exists as a kind of conceptual meaning, a unique existential formula that can provide a long-term interest in the area, make tourists' stay in the region comfortable, interesting and unforgettable. Holding a gastronomic festival in the region will emphasize the individuality of other tourist resources and help to enhance its image. It should be also borne in mind that gastronomic festivals will help local enterprises with producing and selling gastronomic products to earn fame and recognizability. Nowadays, all these are becoming especially relevant.
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