Exploring special events' potential to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion: a study of salient factors in a local festival during COVID-19

Abstract

Special events have gained popularity due to their ability to contribute to the sustainability of a destination by promoting the destination image, attracting tourism, driving economic growth, and building cultural capacity. However, in 2020, the world was forced to confront a conundrum, brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic not only caused high levels of disruption across the hospitality and tourism sectors but also catalyzed major social upheaval. With the rise in xenophobia and racism during the pandemic, the function of special events in society is even more essential. While existing research has examined the social impacts of events, the impacts of attendee perceptions and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) outcomes have not been addressed. In an effort to address this gap, this study explores special events' potential to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion experience through a study of a local festival during COVID-19. Through a series of statistical analyses, attendees' perception of the festival was identified to be the most salient in predicting personal DEI experience, particularly festival DEI practices and the trust of other festival attendees. Moreover, there were significant variations in attendee festival perception between high and low levels of festival pride and perceived risk of COVID-19. Overall, the findings of this study support the idea that special events, such as festivals, promote diversity, equity, and inclusion which can contribute to the enhancement of socially sustainable event planning and management practices.