This document is a dissertation submitted by Timothy McKeown in partial fulfillment of a BA in International Tourism Management. The dissertation investigates the use of events and festivals as a marketing tool to increase repeat visitations in rural Campbeltown, Scotland. Through a literature review and survey of event attendees, the dissertation examines how destination image and marketing techniques like events influence repeat visits and customer loyalty. The 13,000 word dissertation includes chapters on tourism, rural tourism, events marketing, destination image, methodology, findings and recommendations.

1. BA (Hons) International Tourism
Management
An Investigation into the Use of Events
and Festivals as a Marketing Tool for
Increasing Repeat Visitations in a Rural
Tourism Setting: A Case Study of
Campbeltown
By
Timothy Robert McKeown
Glasgow School of Business and Society
Word Count- 13,032

2. i
This dissertation is submitted in partial fulfilment of the
BA (Hons) in International Tourism Management
I declare that this dissertation is my own original work and has not been
submitted elsewhere in fulfilment of the requirements of this or any other
award.
Timothy Robert McKeown
Signature __________________

3. ii
Abstract
The focus of this research project is to investigate the effective use of events and festivals
for the purpose of marketing a rural tourism destination, and how this directly affects the
number of repeat visitations in the area. Events and festivals play a key role in the modern
tourism industry, and industry which continues to grow, as they can help to generate media
attention and income for an area. A case study of Campbeltown was decided as being the
most appropriate and effective way of completing the research project, with a focus on
three different styles of events in the area.
As has been discovered in this project, repeat visitations to a destination can be a direct
result of the marketing of an area, much of which is being done through events in the area
of Campbeltown, either intentionally or inadvertently. The positive impacts of repeat and
loyal visitors is becoming more apparent as competition in the domestic tourism market
increases meaning that the continued support of loyal and repeat visitors is more important
than ever.

4. iii
Acknowledgement
There are number of people whom without their continued support this research project
would not be possible. Firstly, thanks must be given to Dr Keith Halcro for delivering the
most useful series of classes, providing invaluable insight into the writing and construction of
this dissertation.
Secondly, to my academic supervisor Claire Bereziat, who has given guidance and support
when necessary to help me write this dissertation to the best of my ability.
Thirdly, to the Explore Campbeltown, Elaine McGeachy and the Campbeltown Christmas
Lights Switch On Committee for allowing me to distribute my survey, whose contribution is
undoubtedly one of the most significant and important to this project.
Fourthly, to the respondents who kindly took the time to complete my survey, without whom
this project would not have been possible.
And finally, to friends and family, far and near for their continued and exceptional support
throughout this project and all other years of study, I thank you all.

5. iv
Contents Page
Chapter1- Introduction
1.0 Introduction to chapter.................................................................................................- 2 -
1.1 Background of research problem .........................................................................................- 3 -
1.2 Research Aims and Objectives..............................................................................................- 5 -
1.3 Research Plan .....................................................................................................................- 6 -
1.4 Dissertation Structure .........................................................................................................- 7 -
Chapter2- Literature Review
2.0 Introduction to chapter.................................................................................................- 9 -
2.1 Tourism............................................................................................................................ - 10 -
2.1.1 Rural Tourism……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. - 11 -
2.2 Events in Tourism.............................................................................................................. - 12 -
2.3 Repeat Visitations & Customer Loyalty............................................................................... - 13 -
2.4 Destination Image & Marketing ....................................................................................... - - 15 -
2.4.1 DestinationImage:Whatitis…………………………………………………………………………………………….. - 20 -
2.4.2 DestinationImage:Whoisinvolved……………………………………………………................................ - 22 -
2.5 Summaryof Chapter……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. - 23 -
Chapter3- Methodology
3.0 Introduction to chapter............................................................................................... - 21 -
3.1 Research Philosophy ......................................................................................................... - 22 -
3.2 Research Strategy ............................................................................................................. - 23 -
3.3 Research Methods ............................................................................................................ - 24 -
3.4 Research Analysis.............................................................................................................. - 26 -
3.5 Research Limitations......................................................................................................... - 27 -
3.6 Research Ethics................................................................................................................. - 28 -
Chapter4- FindingsandDiscussion
4.0 Introduction to chapter............................................................................................... - 30 -
4.1 Background ...................................................................................................................... - 31 -
4.2 Findings............................................................................................................................ - 32 -
4.3 Discussion......................................................................................................................... - 42 -
Chapter5- ConclusionsandRecommendations

6. v
5.0 Introduction to cha[ter............................................................................................... - 46 -
5.1 Conclusions ...................................................................................................................... - 47 -
5.2 Aims and objectives .......................................................................................................... - 48 -
5.3 Recommendations............................................................................................................ - 50 -
5.4 Limitations of Dissertation.................................................................................................- 52 -
6.0 References........................................................................................................................ - 53 -
Appendices
Appendix A- Example of Questionnaire..……………………………………………………………………………………. - 60 -
Appendix B- Sample of QuestionnaireResults…………………..………………………………………………………. - 62 -
Appendix C- SupervisionMeetingForm…………………………………………………………………………..………… - 66 -
Appendix D- ResearchEthicsFrom…………………………………………………………………………………………… - 67 -

7. vi
List of Tables
Table Number Page Number
4.1- Age and Gender of Respondents Pg. 37
4.2- Place of Residence Pg. 38
4.3- Events Attended Pg. 39
4.4- Number of Events Attended Pg. 40
4.5- Would you Attend the Event Again Pg. 41
4.6- Have you Revisitedthe Area Pg. 42
4.7- Would you Recommend the Event to Others Pg. 44
4.8- Would you recommend the area to Others Pg. 45

8. vii
Glossary
DMO- Destination Marketing Organisation
MOK Fest- Mull of Kintyre Music Festival

9. - 1 -
Chapter 1-
Introduction

10. - 2 -
1.0 Introductionto Chapter
The purpose of this chapter is to provide a brief outline and overview of the chapters that will
make up the undergraduate dissertation. This introductory chapter will include background
information which will form the rationale for the topic choice. In addition to this it will
provide the overall aim of the research project and the objectives which will help the
researcher to meet the overall aim. It will also address the structure of the dissertation giving
a brief and general outline of the timescales which will be set and adhered to in order to
complete the project to an acceptable standard and in a timely manner.
This research project will explore research that has been conducted on a number of different
areas relating to and including rural tourism; repeat visitations; consumer behaviour; the use
of events in tourism; destination image and branding; and marketing techniques giving a
complete overview of the area of interest.

11. - 3 -
1.1 Background ofresearchproblem
The research topic was chosen for a number of reasons. It is well recognised that tourism
plays a major role in the economies of rural areas (Rofe, 2013), and also in the wider
European economy (Peña et al., 2011). It is also recognised that these rural areas have to
adjust tourism strategies due to the fact that much of a country’s economic activity and
decision making happens in metropolitan areas, which means that the benefits are not felt in
the rural areas (Soria et al., 2014). The creation of identity is completed by using the
marketing mix to help create a brand which people will want to visit (Solomon, 2009), a task
which is done to attract people to one area over another. For this reason, rural areas often try
to offer something new for potential visitors in the form of events and festivals. Despite this,
no national tourism organisation has any tool for the sole purpose of measuring the
importance or impacts of festivals (Soria et al., 2014), although Event Scotland do offer a
variety of guides to help with the running of events. One of these guides looks at post-event
activities, and how the stakeholders involved in the event can offer their feedback. It also
looks at assessing the success of the event which goes some way to measuring the importance
of the event (EventScotland, n.d.). It has also been noted that there is little or no existing
work on the subject of using events to increase the number of repeat visitations in a
destination.
Using the latest figures publicly available from the Scottish Government, a number of
observations can be made about the tourism industry in Scotland. The first of these is that
there has been a fall in overnight trips to Scotland between 2005 and 2010, resulting in a total
number of trips of around 14.7m in 2010. The second is that there has also been a decline in
expenditure in the same time period, leading to a total of around £4.1bn in 2010; however
there has been a slight increase in expenditure from overseas visitors (Scottish Government,
2011)

12. - 4 -
Tourists in the area of Argyll are grouped with other regions to make up the West of
Scotland. Tourists to this area from within the UK mostly come from elsewhere in Scotland
(61%), with the rest coming from the other home nations. However, it should be noted that
Scottish visitors only make up 51% of the total expenditure in the area, which is a
disproportionate amount. Argyll & Bute as a whole provides 2.5% of Scotland’s total tourism
related employment, with 5,200 people employed in tourism-related jobs, with Scotland as a
whole employing 203,700 people in tourism (Tourism in Western Scotland, 2011). This helps
to show the importance of the tourism industry for towns in Scotland, and also in Argyll &
Bute, such as Campbeltown. It is for these reasons that this research project has been
undertaken, with the focus on Campbeltown.

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1.2 ResearchAims and Objectives
This piece of academic work aims to examine the effectiveness of events and festivals as a
marketing tool to help increase repeat visitations in a rural tourism setting. The town of
Campbeltown will serve as a case study for the primary research.
In order to reach the overall research aim a number of smaller research objectives will be put
in place to help achieve this. They are:-
1. To critically review the existing literature surrounding the chosen topic to identify gaps
in the research;
2. To identify and evaluate the most used marketing and customer retention techniques to
see if they would be suitable for use in the area of Campbeltown
3. To create and distribute a suitable questionnaire aimed at participants of selected events
held in Campbeltown, which will provide useful insight into the events which are
currently being visited and the reasons for this;
4. To identify and contact local organisations, committees and individuals which are best
placed to distribute the questionnaire to people who visit events in the area;
5. To suggest recommendations which are achievable and realistic, based on an evaluation
of both primary and secondary sources of research, and will serve the organisations and
committees which organise events in the area for the successful delivery of future
events.

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1.3 ResearchPlan
TaskorActivity TimeofCompletion
IntroductionChapter Thischapter will be completedbythe endof
February
Literature Review Chapter Thischapter will be completedbymid-December
MethodologyChapter Thischapter will follow onfromthe Literature
Review beingcompletedbythe endof January
Findings&Discussion Chapter Thischapter will be completed bymid-March
uponthe questionnaireresultsbeingcollected
Conclusions&Recommendations Chapter Thischapter will be completedbythe endof
March
Amendments,Corrections&PrintingandBinding Anyoutstandingamendmentswill be completed
at the start of April,withprintingandbinding
followingthis
Final SubmissionDate Final copieswill be submittedby4.00pmon
Thursday,16th
April,2015

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1.4 DissertationStructure
This dissertation encompasses five separate chapters each with a specific purpose.
This first chapter acts as the Introduction to the dissertation, providing the background to the
research topic, the aims and objectives of the project and also the timescale of the project.
The second chapter of the project is the Literature Review. The literature review evaluates the
research literature available on the topics of interest to help identify major themes, concepts
and developments as well as any gaps in the research.
The third chapter is the Methodology. This chapter provides information on the research
approach and methods which have been selected to carry out the research and meet the
research aim and objectives. Justification of these choices is also provided in this chapter.
The fourth chapter provides the Findings and Discussions of the primary research which has
been conducted. The findings section of this chapter focuses solely on providing a summary
of the main finding that have arisen from the primary research exercise. The discussion part
of this chapter will then explore the meanings behind the findings how these relate to the
ideas raised from the secondary research carried out during the literature review stage.
Finally, the fifth chapter Conclusions and Recommendations connects all of the research and
makes it relevant to the aims and objectives which were first set out. The conclusion section
will attempt to explore the research results in order to make sense of what has been
discovered. The recommendations section offers recommendations for future research
relating both to the topic and the process which was followed and used throughout the
project.

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Chapter 2-
Literature Review

17. - 9 -
2.0 Introductionto Chapter
This section of the dissertation is the literature review. During this chapter, a comprehensive
review of existing work and literature on the specific area or field of interest is undertaken
(Sekeran & Bougie, 2013). The purpose of this review is to highlight any gaps in the existing
literature which may merit further exploration during the primary research stage that will be
undertaken during this project. The primary research is lead and guided by the findings of the
literature review, with the findings providing a framework to work around (Sekeran &
Bougie, 2013).
The chapter explores the tourism industry in general to then focus on rural tourism and the
use of events in tourism; the loyalty of customers and how this connects to repeat visitations;
and also marketing techniques including Destination Marketing Organisations (DMOs) and
image branding.

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2.1 Tourism
Collectively, the travel and tourism sectors form the biggest single industry on a global scale.
(Ghosh, 2011; Ullah et al., 2010; Davenport & Davenport, 2006). Tourism has become one of
the most important industries in the world (Ghosh, 2011), due to its fast growing nature, and
the fact that it provides a significant opportunity for alternative investment (Lo et al., 2014),
particularly in rural areas (Phillips et al., 2013). Tourism development has been found to
benefit communities from economic, environmental and social-cultural perspectives. (Lo et
al., 2014).
The geography of Scotland provides a problem for the tourism industry due to the hilly, loch
prominent nature of the landscape (MacLellan & Smith, 1998). The landscape provides
logistical and infrastructural issues throughout the country in a number of industries; however
the tourism industry has the chance to embrace this by incorporating the landscape into its
tourism product. This could however, also act as a motivator for travel, as visitors are drawn
to the different attributes and characteristics that the destination can offer them over their
home city or country (Aboali & Mohamad, 2012).
Greaves and Skinner (2010, in Artorough & Martin, 2012) recognise that tourists from the
UK may well choose to travel to destinations within the UK to try and keep the costs of a
holiday to a minimum as a result of the global recession. This means that there will be more
competition within the domestic tourism market with the chance to gain significant revenue.
This is why it is also recognised that the benefits of customer loyalty will be greater than ever
due to creating repeat visitors in a heavily contested market place. This is something which
may well find its place in rural Scottish tourism destinations as prominently as any other
destination.

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2.1.1 Rural Tourism
Rural tourism is a type of tourism which is not new, but is currently more popular than it has
ever been (George, 2009). It is often considered to be a niche sector of the tourism industry
(Roberts & Hall, 2001) which has grown in significance, and has begun to thrive recently
(Chuang, 2010), especially within the European Economy (Pena et al., 2011). Rural tourism
can be defined as at least one night away in a setting outside of densely populated or popular
tourist areas, with the aim of experiencing activities which are not readily available in urban
settings (Pesonen et al., 2011)
Rural areas can hold a significant interest for a number of different groups of people who use
the space for a number of different activities (McAreavey & McDonagh, 2011). The use of
the space for different recreational and tourist activities is something that has been happening
on a global scale for a long time (Chuang, 2010). Pesonen et al. (2011), recognise this as
being one of the motivators of rural tourists, along with experiencing the natural world and
finding isolation and harmony within oneself.
Tourism has particular significance in rural areas as it can diversify economies, making rural
communities more robust economically, and offer an alternative investment proposition for
destinations which cannot attract other industries (Panyik et al., 2012; Aboali & Mohamed,
2012; Phillips, et al., 2013). Although this is of significant benefit to the destination, it is not
a simple process for a rural destination to become a thriving tourist destination due to the
complexity of the products and marketing involved in the process (Roberts & Hall 2001).
This is then complicated further due to Lane (1994, in Roberts and Hall, 2001) offering three
distinct categories of rural tourism. The first of these is a set of urban activities which take
place in a rural setting, the second includes activities which cannot take place in an urban
environment and so must take place in a rural setting, and the third is activities which could
take place in either a rural or urban setting.

20. - 12 -
2.2 Events in Tourism
For destination management organisations throughout the world, a critical aspect of their
work has, in recent years, been the creation of new events and also the attraction of already
existing well-known events (Li et al., 2013; Presenza & Sheehan, 2013). These events have
been used for the benefits which they bring in their own right, which will be described in
more detail, as well as for their use as a marketing tool (Li et al., 2013; Kotler 2006, in
Baptista et al., 2010).
Hosting events in an area can provide a great number of impacts to the host, both positive and
negative. These impacts include the obvious benefits of attracting new visitors to the area,
and increasing the overall number of visitors and revenue through visitor spending (Li et al.,
2013, Presenza & Sheehan, 2013). Other long term benefits for the area may include the
improvement of infrastructure, and increased visitor awareness and media exposure, as well
as decreasing or eliminating the seasonality of a destination. (Li et al., 2013). These benefits
may well be enough for a destination to decide that hosting events is their best option,
however the negative impacts must also be considered to allow for an informed decision. The
negative impacts of hosting events may include financial impacts such as the costs of dealing
with increased levels of litter, and the need for extra members of police and security staff.
There are also impacts which may affect the everyday lives of the residents such as increased
levels of congestion and pollution (Li et al., 2013).
It is extremely important for the host destination to gain an understanding of event and
festival attendees because this understanding can help to predict future behaviours of
attendees, allowing for better planning of events and festivals to take place (Manthiou, 2014).
By gaining this understanding of the attendees and providing a product and service
experience which is acceptable, this will ensure the long term success of these festivals and
events (Manithou, 2014).
Large communities have long used festivals and events to benefit their destination, a
technique which small rural communities are beginning to appreciate as an effective
marketing tool, (Baptista et al., 2010). In rural communities, events play an equally important
role as in any other area; however it is important to retain the stakeholders of an event due to
the fact that experts in the field are fewer in rural areas. These stakeholders also include the
customers and attendees, which is why a grasp on customer loyalty and consumer behaviour
are both important aspects to the success of events (Reid, 2011).

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2.3 Repeat Visitations & Customer Loyalty
Jacoby and Kyner (1973, in McMullan & Gilmore, 2008), were the first to define customer
loyalty as follows:
“The biased, behavioural response, expressed over time by some decision
making unit, with respect to one or more alternative brands out of a set of such
brands, and is a function of physiological process. “
Khan (2013) defines customer loyalty as a person’s intention to purchase the same product or
service again. Myongjee & Bai (2013) add that the commitment to the organisation is a major
factor alongside the intention to repurchase. In addition, Mao (2010) postulates that customer
loyalty is the intention to repurchase, and is driven by customers believing that the product is
superior to other similar products which subsequently leads them to provide favourable
reviews of the organisation. Indeed, McKercher et al. (2012) suggest that loyalty is a contract
of sorts, whereby the consumer provides the organisation with their own and others’ business
in return for preferential treatment from the organisation. However, Szczepanska & Gawron
(2011) offer a slightly different perspective; they believe that customer loyalty is less
concerned with repurchase or revisit intentions, but with the feelings and attitudes of the
customer towards the brand, product or destination. As tourism is a complex product which
includes providers as well as organisations involved with the wider destination marketing and
management, McKercher at al. (2012) note that consumers not only form feelings and
attitudes towards individual providers but also with destinations. This complexity can make
it difficult to identify the most important motivating factors due to the fact that any
combination or individual factors can result in the customer behaving in a certain way
(Williams, 2002). This can make it difficult to improve negative motivating factors, which is
important as Pratminginsih et al. (2014) suggest that motivation is the key responsibility for
all behavioural decisions, leading to a person acting in a certain way.
Specific to the tourism industry, repeat visitors and loyal customers are those who return to a
destination or attraction and use the same service provider to do so (Pratminingsih et al.,
2014). The importance of customer loyalty is an area which has received much academic
interest as it is difficult for an organisation surviving without loyal customers. In addition, the
increasing competition in most sectors, including tourism. There are a number of reasons for
the importance of customer loyalty including the decreasing industry growth and increasing
competition in most sectors, meaning that more organisations are focusing on creating loyal

22. - 14 -
customers; and also the difficulty of an organisation surviving without loyal customers
(Alazzam & Bach, Myongjee & Bai, 2013; Setó-Pamies, 2012; Ramanathan & Ramanathan,
2011; Mao, 2010).
However, McKercher et al. (2012) suggest that loyalty is not possible to achieve in some
industries, such as the travel and tourism industry, due to the consumers’ desire to travel.
They suggest that the closest that organisations in this industry may be able to get is to
achieve customer satisfaction, which traditionally is measured as intention to revisit.
However, the authors accept this is not an accurate measure as intentions do not always turn
into actions (McKercher et al., 2012). Customer or consumer satisfaction is defined as the
level of positive feelings which an experience brings (Phillips et al., 2014). It is also
suggested that specifically in the tourism industry, satisfaction is the level of enjoyment
brought to the tourist by the destination and the travel entailed in reaching the destination
(Phillips et al., 2014). This links in with the complexity of the tourism product as it is
comprised of a number of important elements and identifying which element has had the
greatest positive or negative impact on the customer can be difficult.
It has been found that customer satisfaction on its own is not a strong enough factor to turn
the customer into a loyal or repeat customer (Fraering & Minor, 2013; Kim, 2011).
Ramanathan & Ramanathan (2011) offer the idea that there are two main factors which affect
the loyalty of a customer; the like and desire of the product and the availability of
alternatives. Zeithmal et al. (2006), suggest that the main factors which influence loyalty are
“the cost of changing brands; the availability of substitutes; social ties to the company and the
perceived risk associated with the purchase”, along with the customer’s satisfaction.
One of the main reasons for the study of repeat visits is that tourists are more likely to bring
an increase in revenue to a destination both directly and indirectly from friends and family
(Pratminingsih et al., 2014), they also bring the extra revenues of associated secondary
products, such as upgrades and excursions (Setó-Pamies, 2012). The spending pattern of
loyal customers is such that they are likely to spend more than new customers, providing
greater revenue for the destination (Myongjee & Bai, 2013).

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2.4 DestinationImage & Marketing
Marketing in the tourism industry involves having a thorough understanding of the specific
market segment that is of interest, as each different segment will have slightly different trends
that affect the market specifically (Stone, 1990 in Dibb & Simkin, 2013). The significance of
this is to allow the organisation to better understand their customers, and ultimately provide
them with a more satisfying product and service (Dibb & Simkin, 2013), a critical part of the
success of an organisation (Middleton, 2001).
2.4.1 Destination Image: What it is
Destination image is an incredibly important element for a tourist destination, as a destination
is more likely to attract visitors if the perceptions of the place are good (Pratminingsih et al.,
2014). As a result of this, it has long been regarded as a key aspect of creating and
maintaining a successful and competitive tourism destination (Soteriades, 2012). It has been
identified as a crucial element of identifying influences and behavioural intentions of tourists.
It can be defined as the perceptions of any singular destination that a consumer has (Phillips
et al., 2014).
The main purpose of destination branding is to increase the revenue gathered in a destination
(Campello et al., 2013). Campello et al. (2013) believe that ‘place branding’ and ‘destination
image’ are interchangeable terms, due to the fact that the destination is embedded in the place
and cannot be removed. However, Kerr (2006, in Kozak & Baloglu, 2011) disagrees; he
believes that destination is concerned with only the tourism related aspects of destination;
offering ‘place branding’ as an all-encompassing term relating to the economic and social
development of a destination and not just the tourism industry within the destination.
For the purpose of the tourism industry, destination branding is used to identify and create the
image which the destination wishes to deliver, and then conveys this to potential visitors and
customers (Campello et al., 2013). However, one of the issues with place branding is that it
can be difficult to change a person’s perceptions, regardless of the activities and tactics used
(Morgan et al., 2013).
The creation of the destination brand is in itself one of the most challenging parts of such a
project. Thought must be given to the main facilities and characteristics which are to be
promoted to form the destination image. If insufficient thought is given to this selection

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process then the wrong image could unintentionally be portrayed to potential customers
resulting in the wrong market being reached (Campello et al., 2013).
There is much agreement on the basic steps of creating a destination brand. It is widely
accepted that there are four main steps in the process. The first step is to explore the current
brand and evaluate its effectiveness. The second step is to create an identity for the
destination that highlights and emphasises the main characteristics and attractions of the
destination. The third step is to implement the brand into practice and communicate it to
potential visitors and consumers. The final step is to measure and evaluate the level of
success which the new brand identity has brought to the destination (Kozak & Baloglu,
2011).

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2.4.2 Destination Image: Who is Involved
The purpose of the marketer is to appeal to the specific customers who are being targeted in
an attempt to show them the value and benefits of the product (Glavor & Koncul, 2012). One
way in which this can be done is by the marketer trying to gain an understanding of the
customer which they are trying to sell their products to. This understanding can lead to
greater customer satisfaction with both the product and also with the supplier (Stone, 1990 in
Dibb & Simkin, 2013)
One such marketer could be a Destination Marketing Organisation (DMO). A DMO is a
collection of organisations and stakeholders who work together to promote and market a
destination to potential visitors (Buhalis, 2000, in Artorough & Martin, 2012). Creating the
brand and image of a destination is usually done by the various stakeholders in the
destination. They are the ones who know how they want their destination to be perceived by
potential and existing visitors. However, place branding is still one of the key responsibilities
of a DMO (Artorough & Martin, 2012), as they are responsible for implementing and
maintaining the image of the destination (Morgan et al., 2011).
In a wider context, the role of the DMO is to promote and market the area with the purpose of
attracting a number of parties which will provide investment and revenue for the area and the
stakeholders involved. This is done by an increase in visitor numbers and the hosting of
events (Kotler et al., 1993, in Hanna & Rowley, 2013). It is a level of collaboration which is
vital to the success of a DMO as the effective partnership of public and private sector
organisations should allow a seamless transition between policies and practice for marketing
and branding (Harwood, 2009).
An example of the partnerships and collaborations needed for successfully sustaining a
tourism destination can be found in the coastal town of Southport, England. In 2009 a
partnership of various different stakeholders within the area combined to create a new brand
and strategy for the town as a tourist destination. Some of the stakeholders involved in the
project included experts and staff from hotels, restaurants, transport providers,
accommodation, retail stores and local government agencies, each bringing their own
expertise to help with different aspects of the project. This helps to show the full scale of
stakeholders from various different organisations needed to successfully attempt such a
project (Morgan et al., 2011). Soteriades (2012) recognises that tourists expect a service from

26. - 18 -
destinations which include a number of elements from different organisations, hence why
collaboration and partnership are so important in the tourism industry.
The importance of collaboration and partnership within the industry is something which
cannot be ignored, yet it can also pose a significant problem. The very nature of contributing
resources and ideas to a shared goal or project can lead to certain people or organisations
within the partnership feeling that their individual needs are not being met by project. This
can lead to an unequal sharing of the project responsibilities and resources (Shama &
Kearins, 2010, in Artorough & Martin, 2012, and Panyik et al., 2011).

27. - 19 -
2.5 Summary ofChapter
This review has raised a number of key points which the primary research will look to
address to either find similarities or discrepancies with the existing literature for repeat
visitations in a rural tourism setting. Consideration has been given to the importance of
tourism in rural settings, and also how this can be linked to the use of events in the area. It
has been found that events can be used to aid tourism in rural areas, and in turn, this can then
aid the economy of the rural area.
The importance of these events in the creation of repeat and loyal visitors has also been
established, with the work of DMOs being highlighted as a key factor in this activity. It has
also been acknowledged that understanding the event participants is key to their continued
success as the organisers can look to address the needs and wants of these people more
effectively if they understand who they are. These elements will be explored through the
primary research which will be conducted

28. - 20 -
Chapter 3-
Methodology

29. - 21 -
3.0 Introductionto Chapter
The purpose of this chapter is to determine, and provide information on, the research methods
and techniques which will be used to conduct the primary research in support of this
dissertation project. It will also provide consideration of the different methods which could be
used, and justification of the chosen methods. Essentially, this chapter gives a framework and
outline of the primary research.
The chapter will be broken down into a number of smaller sections which will each have a
different focus and purpose. There will be sections detailing the methods of collection which
will be used; the type of data this will collect; and the limitations of the research conducted in
this project amongst other areas.

30. - 22 -
3.1 ResearchPhilosophy
It has previously been shown that a large proportion of research on the tourism industry is
conducted on the basis that people are interested in finding out more about the industry, and
not because there is a need to explore it which will directly benefit the tourism industry
(Veal, 2006). Therefore, it is hoped that the findings presented will inform the industry,
whilst also providing interest to the researcher.
The research project that will be undertaken will attempt to gain an insight into the views of
the respondents, and the reasons for the actions which are taken in response to specific
situations and scenarios, and also the justifications of particular behaviour. Therefor an
interpretive approach will be adopted as this is most suited to this type of research (Veal,
2006). This approach will allow for the study to regard each respondent as an individual with
differing views (Saunders et al., 2012).
The belief behind this philosophy is that it is a necessity for the researcher to try to
acknowledge and understand the differing views of individuals with different backgrounds
and interests (Saunders et al., 2012).
The research which is to be conducted in this dissertation should be classed as ‘applied
research’ the reason for this is that existing research and studies will be applied to the
particular problem which is the focus of this study. This will allow for a deeper understanding
to be gained in the particular area of interest, in this case that is the use of events as a
marketing tool which is used as a driver for repeat visitations in a rural area (Veal, 2006).

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3.2 ResearchStrategy
The strategy, or design, of a project is an incredibly important part of the research project. It
is used to help create a framework and plan for the project, this is used to help make the
process easier to manage, and thus making the process more easily achievable (Wilson,
2010).
This research project will follow an exploratory design. This is due to the lack of existing
material which is available on the topic for the selected area of Campbeltown (Wilson, 2010;
Sekeran & Bougie, 2013). For these reasons, exploratory research can be considered an
acceptable and viable strategy for use on this project. The main reason for using this design is
to allow for an insight to be gained into the particular issue being researched (Wilson, 2010).
Due to the time constraints of the project, this will allow a set of hypotheses and
generalisations about the respondents of the questionnaires to be made. These will be drawn
from the answers given by the respondents. This will then allow conclusions to be drawn in
an educated and calculated manner from the information gathered (Wilson, 2010).

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3.3 ResearchMethods
In order to complete this research project fully a combination of both primary and secondary
research methods will be implemented to collect the appropriate data required.
It has been decided that due to the nature of the research required, a questionnaire will be
administered in order to try and cover all aspects of research which will be needed. This
method of research is an example of primary research, and will be collected first-hand by the
researcher, with the specific purpose of fulfilling the needs of this dissertation in mind
(Wilson, 2010).
As part of the primary research that will be conducted questionnaires will be used. A
questionnaire is a data collection method which is formed by a number of questions, which
are then answered by the respondents. This can be used to great effect when the design of the
questionnaire is well thought out with the inclusion of both qualitative and quantitative
questions (Wilson, 2010; Sekeran & Bougie, 2013).
As with any method of research there are a number of advantages and disadvantages to using
a questionnaire as a data collection tool. The first advantage is the relatively low cost of
administering the questionnaire and gathering the data which will be provided. This is
something which is especially prominent in this research project as the questionnaire itself
will be created and administered using the ‘Survey Monkey’ platform, and will be distributed
on a select number of organisations’ ‘Facebook’ pages. This has been decided as it will allow
for a large number of potential respondents to be reached from a wide geographical range
(Sekeran & Bougie, 2013), and will also minimise the cost of conducting the research. The
second advantage of using this collection method is the ability to collect consistent
information, which is easily collated. This is due to every respondent being asked the exact
same set of questions (Wilson, 2010; Sekeran & Bougie, 2013).
There are disadvantages to using this method, but in this case they are outweighed by the
positives. This first of these is the impersonal nature of conducting questionnaires. This will
be apparent in this research project due to the distribution method which will be used. This
will not necessarily affect every respondent as it is only really an issue if there are any
problems or misunderstandings with the questions being asked. The issue is that the
researcher is not available to clarify any of these issues. This could mean that a false response
may be given, or questions may be skipped completely. Another issue which can affect
questionnaires is effectively designing and creating a questionnaire which will ask the

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appropriate questions to provide adequate data relating to the research problem (Wilson,
2010). One final disadvantage of using questionnaires, specifically electronic versions, is the
low response rate, meaning that it can be difficult to draw accurate and educated hypotheses
and conclusions (Sekeran & Bougie, 2013).
In order to determine the method of sampling which will be used the target population must
first be identified. The population is all of the people which are important to the research. The
sample is then determined from this, it is just some of the population which has been
determined. The sample is then used to form generalised ideas about the whole population
(Sekeran & Bougie, 2013).
Nonprobability sampling will be used for the questionnaire, due to the distribution channels
which will be used. This will be used because there will be an equal chance for all of the
respondents to answer the questionnaire. In essence, the respondents will not be hand-picked
to answer the questionnaire. However, the respondents will be targeted based on a criteria,
they must have visited the area at least once, and cannot be a current resident. For this reason
purposive sampling will be the preferred method (Sekeran & Bougie, 2013). Specific and
carefully selected organisations will share a link to the questionnaire on their Facebook pages
and email it to their mailing list, allowing for a specific and targeted sample to be reached.
The organisations which have been chosen all have some interest in creating events in the
area, or promoting the area in general. These organisations have already been contacted and
have all given permission for this to take place.
Following the collection of data from primary sources it is necessary to code the data. This is
when the raw data is organised into categories to turn the data into useable information
(Sekeran & Bougie, 2013). This is a task which is made substantially more efficient through
the use of online survey collection, Survey Monkey, as it removes the need to manually input
data responses onto a computer program.

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3.4 ResearchAnalysis
The purpose of analysing the information which is gathered is to allow it to be compared
against the hypotheses which have been created following the secondary research which has
been concluded (Sekeran & Bougie, 2013).
The research method that has been chosen will mean that there will be qualitative data that
must be processed in order to make sense of the responses to questionnaires. Qualitative
research refers to methods and techniques which use and gather qualitative information
(Veal, 2006), in other words, information which is not easily quantified numerically as it is a
person’s own feelings and beliefs. Qualitative methods of researching are often used due to
the belief that the person being questioned is an expert in their field, and therefor is in the
best place to answer the questions required. This is true for this project in the sense that
people who answer the questionnaire must have visited the area at least once previously.
Once data has been gathered from questionnaire responses it is then coded and edited. The
coding of responses involves each respondent being assigned an individual number, this way
all of the individual responses remain separate and readable in its entirety (Sekeran &
Bougie, 2013). This is a task which will be made easier through the use ‘Survey Monkey’.
Survey Monkey provides an overview of each individual question asked and each set of
answers from respondents. This will allow for links to be made between the people who
answer questions similarly, allowing the researcher to easily identify other similarities and
differences between respondents. Survey Monkey also displays a variety of graphs, charts
and tables allowing for easy interpretation of all responses.
Quantitative data, and other types of data, can be shown through the use of a number of
different types of graphs and charts. This makes it easier to understand the results and find
patterns between different sets of results. After the results are illustrated by the graphs and
charts, the results’ patterns and correlations can be described in two main ways. The first of
these is called measuring central tendencies, used to generalise the bulk of results. The other
method is called measuring dispersion, this is used to describe the anomalies and exceptions
found in the results that have been collected (Wilson, 2010).

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3.5 ResearchLimitations
There are a number of limitations which will be faced during the undertaking of this research
project. Some of these limitations will originate from the researcher and some will be out
with the control of the researcher.
The first of these, and possibly the most notable, issues that must be considered is the time
constraints surrounding the project. There is a finite amount of time available to complete and
submit the dissertation, set by the deadline which is controlled by the university. As a result,
careful and thorough planning must be put in place to discipline the time spent on each
section of the dissertation in order to allow appropriate time to complete the project to a
satisfactory standard.
The second limitation which may be faced in the research process is the difficulty of
conducting the online questionnaire. This can lead to people being confused by questions and
answering incorrectly due to a misunderstanding. The researcher will aim to minimise this by
providing an email address which can be used to contact the researcher with any queries or
additional information. The lack of personal contact with the researcher could also lead to
respondents answering the questionnaire in an incomplete or ‘half-hearted’ manner.
One further limitation which will affect this project, particularly because of the use of online
surveys is the low response rate which can be expected. Traditionally, questionnaire surveys
see a relatively low response rate compared to the number of people which they are
distributed to. This can be increased due to the fact that people may not check their emails or
social media on a daily basis so may not be aware of the survey.

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3.6 ResearchEthics
It is the responsibility of the researcher to ensure that any research conducted must be done in
an honest and accurate way (Wilson, 2010). This is controlled by the university through the
use of a code of ethics, which includes a form which must be signed by the dissertation
supervisor to ensure that everything is done in an ethical manner.
Thought and consideration must be given to a number of key elements throughout the
research process, the first of these being data protection. It must be ensured that all
information gathered is relevant to the purpose for which it is gathered; must be held
confidentially and securely for no longer than is necessary; and must be used fairly and
accurately in the context in which it was gathered. This is a prerequisite as set by the UK
Government in regards to any information that is gathered for any purpose (UK Government,
2014).
All of the participants must be briefed on the nature of the research and what their responses
will be used for. Participants must also be informed of how to complete the questionnaire,
with extra information and advice being given wherever necessary.

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Chapter 4-
Findings and Discussion

38. - 30 -
4.0 Introductionto Chapter
In this chapter of the dissertation, an analysis will present the information collected and
collated which has been gathered through the use of primary data gathering techniques. For
the purpose of this research project an online questionnaire, distributed through social media
groups on ‘Facebook’ was used as the primary method of gathering data. Following the
collection of data, analysis was carried out, identifying patterns and anomalies within the
information.
Any responses from residents of Campbeltown and its surrounding areas and villages were
discarded from the study, as the focus was on visitors to the area, so as not to skew the results
unfairly.
In this chapter there will be two main sections emerging; the first is the findings section. This
is simply when the raw data is presented and described to the reader. The second part is the
discussion, where the findings are considered in more depth and explanation of the
information is provided, with the author’s thoughts being clear throughout the discussion as
opinions are given on the information which has been found and how this relates to the
findings of the literature review.

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4.1 Background
The survey (see Appendix A) which was developed was made publicly available on the 25th
of February 2015 through the Facebook page ‘Explore Campbeltown’. The survey was closed
on the 5th of March 2015, as sufficient and satisfactory number of responses was achieved,
and also due to the fact that the response rate was starting to slow down, suggesting that the
majority of potential respondents had already completed the survey.
In addition, the questionnaire was forwarded on the 3rd of March to MOKrun, who distributed
the questionnaire to their electronic mailing list for the MOKRun. The MOKRun is a half
marathon and 10K race which takes place in the town every year.
Finally, the group ‘Campbeltown Christmas Lights’ was also due to share the survey on their
Facebook page; however this did not take place.
The reason for the choice of the specific distribution channels was that the questionnaire
needed to reach people who had previously visited the area to attend an event, but not be
current residents of the area. It was not a feasible option to visit the area due to time
constraints and the timing of events. To overcome this it made best sense to distribute the
questionnaire through existing channels, allowing for a wider audience to be reached as well
as maximising the likelihood of collecting acceptable and useable data. It was reasoned that
by using a tourism page which advertises events and attractions in the area, and through the
mailing list of an event in the area, this would provide the highest success ratio.
The purpose of the questionnaire was to establish an awareness of the number of people who
revisit the area following a previous visit to the area for the purpose of attending an event.
This would allow for a baseline to be established that could then be used to offer
recommendations to help increase the number of repeat visitations based on past experience
from visiting the area for events.

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4.2 Findings
Before the findings are discussed and analysed it should be noted that there was a total of
ninety-one responses to the survey. It should also be noted that eleven of these responses
were discarded as the respondents were either residents of the area or failed to specify where
they lived in Scotland. This meant that these responses were invalid as they could potential
skew the research. In total seventy nine acceptable responses were used for analysis.
Simple demographic questions were the first two questions to be asked of the respondents.
The reason for this was to establish who visits the events in question, allowing the researcher
to recognise which events are more likely to attract which people. The first question asked
about gender, and the second asked about age range. These questions will be grouped
together to show the trends identified over the two genders as well as age range.
AgeRangeofRespondent
Gender of Respondent
Male Female Total
16-24 4 (5%) 3 (4%) 7 (9%)
25-34 4 (5%) 6 (8%) 10 (13%)
35-44 7 (9%) 10 (13%) 17 (22%)
45-54 8 (10%) 14 (18%) 22 (28%)
55-64 6 (8%) 10 (13%) 16 (20%)
65 or older 3 (4%) 4 (5%) 7 (9%)
Total 32 (41%) 47 (59%) 79
Table 4.1- Age and Genderof Respondents
As can be seen in Table 4.1 there was a total of 32 (41%) male and 47 (59%) female
respondents. When this is considered along with the ages of the respondents, it can be seen
that there are trends starting to emerge regarding the numbers of people visiting the area for
events. The data produced shows a trend that the majority of respondents (70%) were
between the ages of 35 and 64 are the most likely to visit the area, with slightly more females
than males.

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The next question asked the respondents where they lived. Respondents gave a variety of
answers, with respondents answering from a number of locations on a global scale. There
were however trends emerging in the data which was collected.
Where do you live
Argyll & Bute (Exc. Campbeltown and surrounding areas) 7
Glasgow 24
Other Scotland 29
Other UK 9
Europe 1
USA 6
Other (International 3
Table 4.2 Place of Residence
For the purpose of this research the respondents have been grouped together based on where
they reside, moving away from the town which hosts the events, as shown above. This allows
generalisations to be made about the respondents from each geographic location as a whole as
opposed to only having one or two people from a larger number of towns, which would not
be particularly useful for analysis. In categorising the respondents geographically it can be
seen that people from within Scotland are most likely to attend, with Glasgow being the
single biggest contributing town or city. This is then followed with respondents coming from
other countries in the United Kingdom, Europe and also globally, with responses from
residents of Australia, USA, Canada and Tunisia. When this information is considered along
with responses from other questions it was found that a number of people repeatedly travel to
the area to visit family and friends.

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Agerangeofrespondent
Events attended
Male Female
MOKFest MOKRun Xmas Lights MOKFest MOKRun Xmas Lights
16-24 3 2 2 2 1 2
25-34 4 1 2 5 2 3
35-44 7 3 3 10 3 2
45-54 5 2 1 11 3 4
55-64 3 2 1 10 0 1
65+ 2 1 1 4 1 1
Total 24 11 10 42 10 13
Table 4.3 Events Attended
By combing the results from the first two questions and then cross referencing them with the
fourth question, asking what events the respondents attend, it allowed for profiles to be built
of the respondents.
As can be seen in the above table, the MOKFest is the most popular event for both men and
women to visit, being more popular with the female respondents. What is also apparent is that
women aged between 35 and 64 are most likely to visit events in the area. However, this may
well be contributed to the fact that there were more females who responded to the survey.
It can also be seen in the results that both the MOKRun and Christmas Lights Switch-on
share similar popularity with both men and women and also across the age ranges. This
suggests that there is no obvious trend to be found in these events as they have similar
numbers of respondents.

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Question four was one of the most important questions of the survey as it asked the
respondents which events they had visited. This was then combined with the geographical
location of the respondents to find out which people are most likely to visit the events in the
area. A number of the respondents had visited the area on multiple occasions for a number of
different events including a variety of events not listed in the survey. These were provided in
the ‘Other’ box option. The number of people who visit the area for more than one event
helps to provide a clear indication of the number of repeat visitations to the area.
PlaceofResidence
Number of events attended
1 event 2 events 3 events 4 events +
Argyll 3 1 2 1
Glasgow 12 8 4 3
Other Scotland 19 6 1 0
Other UK 8 0 0 1
Europe 0 0 0 1
USA 5 1 0 0
Other 2 0 0 1
Total 49 16 7 7
Table 4.4- Number of Events Attended
From the results of this question it can easily be seen that a number of the respondents (40%)
had visited the town or area on more than one occasion to attend events. This indicates that
the events themselves do indeed play a role in creating repeat visitations, due to the number
of revisits from respondents. What is also evident from the results of the survey is that the
respondents are more likely to attend multiple events if they have less distance to travel. This
can be seen as twenty six people who reside in Scotland have visited multiple events in the
area. This can be compared with just one person from the rest of the UK making multiple
trips to the area. This helps to give the first indications of importance of events in a rural area
in terms of creating repeat visitors, particularly with domestic visitors. International visitors,
also play an important role, alongside the returning domestic tourists as they may well stay
longer, resulting in opportunities to maximise the revenue that they spend in the area. This
can be found in particular with visitors from the USA and Australia (Visit Scotland, 2011).

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Question five was another key point in the survey as this asked the respondents if they would
attend the event again, and also the reasons for attending or not attending again. By asking
this it helps to establish the levels of revisit intention as a preliminary for future questions in
the survey, and also helps to identify some of the motivators encouraging people to re-attend
events. This is crucial, as it will help to identify what motivators encouraged people to the
rural town of Campbeltown in particular over other locations or events.
Would you attend the event again? Number of Responses
Yes 76
No 3
Table 4.5- Would you Attend the Event Again
As can be seen in the table, the response to the question was overwhelmingly positive. Only
three of the seventy nine respondents identified that they would not attend the event again.
Reasons mentioned by the respondents included the dates of the events did not line up
adequately with school holidays; Scotland, and the town in particular, being too far to travel
to specifically to attend these events; and the MOK Run being so popular that it is fully
booked too far in advance to allow proper planning to take place. The issues which have been
raised may be worthy of consideration by the event organisers to rectify the problems
identified, as at present people who are not likely to attend the events again are not
necessarily doing so for negative reasons.
With seventy six respondents saying they would visit again, it is important to try and
understand why, hence the second part of this question. Given that Campbeltown is a small,
rural town on the West coast of Scotland which is not easily accessible for a large number of
people, it was assumed that many respondents would be returning to the area simply to visit
family and friends that live in the area. This was true to some extent with sixteen respondents
citing this as a reason; however it was not as overwhelming as originally thought. In fact
thirty of the responses stated that reasons related to the fun or enjoyment of attending the
event would encourage them back to it. After this, the main reasons cited included answers
based around the friendliness of the other attendees and residents, which contribute to a
welcoming and friendly atmosphere in the area with thirty two responses across this category.
Following this, the responses become more sporadic with the number of each different reason
dropping. However, there were still notable and important reasons such as the good
organisation and running of the event; the family friendliness; the culture of the area; support

45. - 37 -
of the local community; good bands/artists at the event; offering something different to other
events; the scenery; and having property in the area as being their main motivations to return.
‘Have you revisited the area?’ was the next question which was asked. Again this was a
crucial question in the survey as its sole purpose was to establish the level of existing repeat
visitations to the area, as, as stated in the literature review, intention to revisit does not
automatically convert into repeat visitations.
PlaceofResidence
Have you revisited the area since the event?
Yes No
Argyll 5 2
Glasgow 21 3
Other Scotland 24 4
Other UK 9 0
Europe 1 0
USA 5 1
Other 1 2
Total 66 12
Skipped 1
Table 4.6- Have you Revisited the Area
This gives a clear answer to the level of repeat visits in the area as people have visited the
area as well as attending at least one event, thereby becoming a repeat visitor to the area.
Sixty six of the respondents answered yes to this question, showing that the events and the
area itself are already drawing a substantial level of repeat visitors. However, with twelve
respondents having not revisited the area, with one person skipping the question, it shows that
there will always be room for improvement.
The main reason for people to return to the area was to visit family and friends in the area,
with thirty one people stating this as a reason for return. This is significantly higher than the
number of people who stated this as a reason for re-attending the event. This is something
that may be explained by the fact that people may not wish to travel to the area during busy
times, such as during events and festivals, if they can visit at other less busy times of the area.
Behind this, reasons for return include holidaying in the area; holiday or family property; to
work; and also to generally enjoy spending time in the area.

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Rural areas can be used for a number of different activities by different groups of people
(McAreavey & McDonagh, 2011), something which is highlighted by the variety of different
events which are hosted in the area. Events in the town cover a range of interests including
sporting and music events. These events have a number of benefits to the area, all of which
are evidenced in the results of the survey. These include the visitor spend from attending the
event; along with the added benefits of re-attending the event, and the area itself; and also the
recommendation of both the event and area to others. This may help increase the visitor
spend in the area as people return and encourage others to visit, a similar conclusion to that of
Pratminingsih et al. (2014), when they suggest a revenue increase from the attendees directly
and indirectly through recommendations is just one of the benefits of loyal customers.
Question seven then looked into the intentions of the respondent to revisit the area. This was
then to be compared with the results of the previous questions to show the difference between
revisit intentions and actual revisits. Unfortunately, this was not the case as a large number of
the respondents either skipped the question or simply referred to the answer that they gave for
the previous question. Due to this apparent confusion, this question will not be taken into
consideration for the results and discussion of this research in the interest of credibility.
Instead, revisit intentions will be found from the persons’ desire to attend the event again,
which was asked as question five.

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Question eight then asked if the respondent would recommend the event to others. This
would help to establish if loyal customers or attendees offer more than simply repeat
visitations.
PlaceofResidence
Would you recommend the event to others?
Yes No
Argyll 7 0
Glasgow 22 2
Other Scotland 29 0
Other UK 8 1
Europe 1 0
USA 6 0
Other 3 0
Total 76 3
Table 4.7- Would you Recommend the Event to Others
As can be seen, seventy six people would recommend the events which they have attended.
There were a number of reasons for recommending the festival including the fun and
enjoyment factor of the events; the friendly and welcoming people in the area; the
atmosphere in the area at the time of the event; the scenery of the area; and the events being
well organised. Some of these factors could be generic to any event in any location but the
scenery and atmosphere of the area are specific to the events which are hosted in this area and
cannot be replicated in other locations. It is these very factors which define the individuality
of these events.
With just three respondents stating that they would not recommend the event this shows again
the current success of the events which are organised in the area. As well as this, the reasons
for not recommending the events are not necessarily negative reasons, with no respondent
stating they did not enjoy the events. The negative responses again included suggestions that
the event and area would be too far away to travel to specifically for the event, with a
respondent from Wales citing this as a reason not to recommend the event. The other negative
response was the difficulty of getting a place in the MOK Run, something which was
identified previously.

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However, when the negative impact of the remoteness of the town is linked with the positive
impact of the scenic nature of the town this could become a benefit for events, as it could be
used as a unique selling point for events such as the MOK Music Festival, as has been done
successfully by other music festivals in Scotland.
Following this, question nine then asked the respondents if they would recommend the area
as a whole. This would be used for the same purpose as the previous question, in establishing
the extra benefits of repeat visitations.
Placeofresidence
Would you recommend the area to others?
Yes No
Argyll 6 1
Glasgow 23 1
Other Scotland 27 2
Other UK 8 1
Europe 1 0
USA 6 0
Other 3 0
Total 74 5
Table 4.8Would you Recommend the Area to Others
Again, an overwhelmingly positive response was given; with just five of the respondents
stating that they would not recommend the area. However, unlike in previous answers, no
reasons were given as to why they would not recommend the area. It can be assumed that it
would be for similar reasons as those previously stated as the questions all shared similarities.

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The final question of the survey asked respondents what other events they attend. This would
help to establish potential competitors of the events held in the area, and also opportunities to
discover what other events are being attended and how they are marketed to the same people.
A large number of the respondents answered this question with examples of other events
based in the Campbeltown area, as opposed to events held elsewhere. However, there were
some respondents who give appropriate responses with notable events such as T in The Park,
Edinburgh Festivals, Celtic Connections and Wickerman Festival named amongst other
music events and sporting events. This suggests that the respondents tend to visit similar
events whether they are at home or in other parts of the country. This does not give much
new or additional information over what is already known about the events and festivals
taking place in the town.

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4.3 Discussion
The research has raised a number of issues which merit further consideration, and should be
compared to what has been found from the literature review. The first of these is the number
of people who are attending events in the area, especially those who are making multiple trips
to the area. These people have the power to help a rural destination, such as Campbeltown
become more robust in terms of the economy and potential investment in the area, as has
been previously identified by multiple authors (Panyik et al., 2012; Aboali & Mohamed,
2012; Phillips et al., 2013). This becomes even more relevant when this is tied to the fact that
rural areas can hold significant interest for a number of different groups or individuals who
use the area for different activities (McAreavey & McDonagh, 2011), as this can help to
diversify the income of the area as it can come from a wider range of sources. This can be
seen as large numbers of people are attending community style events, sporting events, and
music festivals in the area, the majority of whom can be assumed to be contributing to the
local economy in some way.
In the tourism industry, destination branding is concerned with the identification and creation
of an image which can be portrayed by the destination to potential visitors (Campello et al.,
2013). This is something which can be seen as an opportunity for the area due to the fact that
a large number of the respondents would recommend the area because of its scenery and
beaches. These responses offer the area an opportunity to establish itself as a tourism
destination, as it can provide the area with an idea and image which it can market and sell to
potential visitors to the area. With tourism identified as playing a significant role in any
coastal area (Ghosh, 2011), it is important that Campbeltown fully capitalises on the
opportunities available to them. The scenery and beaches in the area have been identified as
reasons for recommending the area to others. It is this combination of elements which may
give the area an advantage over other areas as it was found during the secondary research that
beaches and scenery are an important part of the tourism market (Ullah et al., 2010), and with
coastal destinations marketing specific elements of their destinations (Ghosh, 2011) this
would create the opportunity of marketing the diversity of Campbeltown’s scenery and
beaches, which may ultimately help to attract a wider spectrum of potential visitors from a
wider market. As noted by McAreavey & McDonagh (2011), these areas can be used for a
number of different activities, with the beaches and scenery being just one of many
possibilities.

51. - 43 -
The good organisation and smooth running of these events was highlighted by some of the
respondents as being a factor leading to revisiting the area. This is something which has been
previously noted as being a key responsibility of DMOs in the pursuit of the success of a
destination (Li et al., 2013; Presenza & Sheehan, 2013).
In order for a destination to make the best use of the attributes that they have in their area, it
is often wise to create a Destination Marketing Organisation, or DMO. The DMO can help
bring together the necessary skills and resources needed to successfully create and market a
specific image or brand which the destination wishes to convey to potential visitors (Buhalis,
2000, in Artorough & Martin, 2012). This could be something which the area could expand
on, given the large number of people who would recommend the area based on the scenery.
Customer loyalty and repeat visitations have been the focus of much of the research within
this dissertation. It has been found that the events in the area of Campbeltown do indeed
attract and retain loyal customers. This can be found as Khan (2013) suggests that loyal
customers are those who intend to repeat the experience of a product or service, something
which has been found to be overwhelmingly true in the case of Campbeltown, as a vast
majority of the respondents have either already revisited the area and events, or intend to do
so in the future. The loyalty of the visitors to the area can also be confirmed by the fact that
the vast majority of these repeat visitors would recommend either the area or event,
something which Mao (2010) has suggested as being a key element of loyal customers.
When this is considered alongside the fact that many of the visitors stated the fun or
enjoyment associated with being involved with the event or area, feelings which could be
interpreted as satisfaction, it can be seen that customer or visitor loyalty and repetition can
come from these factors on their own or combined with others. This is an observation which
is in contrast with the thoughts of authors who have previously stated that satisfaction is not a
strong enough factor on its own to create repeat visitors (Fraering & Minor, 2013; Kim,
2011). This can also be linked to the difficulty of identifying and differentiating between
particular motivating factors for repeat visitations, as noted by Williams (2002). However,
the results of this study show that the enjoyment of the event was enough to encourage
visitors back to the area. An opposing stance has previously been taken by McKercher et al.
(2012) when he suggests that in some industries, such as travel and tourism, it is not possible
to achieve customer loyalty. However, given the number of people who have revisited the

52. - 44 -
area and who would recommend the area, both of which are attributed with loyalty, the
results of the study would suggest that this is not true in this case.
This also goes some way to suggesting that Ramanthan & Ramanthan (2011) may have been
incorrect, in this case at least, when they considered that there are two main factors involved
in creating loyal visitors; the like and desire of the product and the availability of alternatives.
Given that a number of the visitors who have travelled from outwith the area to the event, and
have subsequently revisited the area, it would seem that it could be assumed that there would
be alternatives available to these visitors closer to their place of residence, particularly those
travelling from other countries to attend events in the area. Of course, this may be for a
number of different reasons including the presence of family and friends in the area, which is
a frequent response given by those who have repeatedly visited the area.

53. - 45 -
Chapter 5-
Conclusions and
Recommendations

54. - 46 -
5.0 Introduction to Chapter
The purpose of this final chapter is to identify the conclusions which can be made in relation
to the research project as a whole based on the research which has been conducted. This will
be done by suggesting the main points which have been deduced from the research project in
the form of conclusions. These will also be related to the research objectives which were set
at the beginning of this project.
The second part of this chapter will comprise of suggested recommendations. These will be
made in relation to three key areas. The first is recommendations which could be used to
improve the focus of the study. In this case that is repeat visitations in the area of
Campbeltown; therefor these recommendations will pertain to what the organisations in the
area can do to increase repeat visitations. The second area will focus on improving and
refining the research which was undertaken during the study. The third and final area is
recommendations related to what improvements could be made to further the success of any
future studies on the area, or alternative topics which may merit further exploration based on
the findings of this project. In doing all of the above, the dissertation project will see cyclical
closure, as the outcomes of the project are considered against the original rationale, aims and
objectives of the project. It is hoped that the fact that this dissertation has been successful has
proved to be a contribution to the practice of marketing tourist destinations, both in terms of
this case study and also for the practice in general terms, in that it has successfully proved
that events and festivals can be used effectively as a tool for marketing, thereby helping to
increase the number of repeat visitations to an area.

55. - 47 -
5.1 Conclusions
The first of the conclusions which can be drawn is related to the overall success of the
project, which can be seen as successful. This is due to the fact that all of the research
objectives have been met throughout the course of the dissertation, leading to the project
successfully meeting the overall aim of the project. This has meant that there are a number of
conclusions to draw from the research and the results of the study undertaken. The first
conclusion is that it would appear that events and festivals do indeed play a key role in the
effective marketing of a rural tourism destination. This can then be followed by the results of
the survey suggesting that events and festivals as a marketing tool can indeed help to increase
repeat visitations to a destination based on the number of people who had identified
themselves as repeat visitors.

56. - 48 -
5.2 Aims and objectives
Objective 1: To critically review the existing literature surrounding the chosen topic to
identify gaps in the research.
This objective has been met during the Literature Review stage of the dissertation, evidenced
during chapter two of this project. This particular objective has shown that there are
discrepancies between some of the existing literature and what has been found as a result of
analysing the secondary research stage of the project. This can be seen as certain parts of the
results of the survey do not conform to some of the ideas which are portrayed in the literature
which has been reviewed.
Objective 2: To identify and evaluate the most used marketing and customer retention
techniques to see if they would be suitable for use in the area of Campbeltown.
This objective has been met as part of the Literature Review chapter. It was identified that
DMOs are a key element of the marketing of a destination. Along with this, identifying key
characteristics and attributes of the area which can be marketed as an image or brand are also
crucial elements. These two combine as the marketing of the destination image is a key part
of the work done by any DMO. This has then been considered further in the primary research
stage of the dissertation as respondents have identified the main reasons for their repeated
visits to the area. This identified that scenery, amongst other things, was a key motivator for
revisiting and recommending the area, something which can be used by the DMOs to market
the area and help to retain and gain customers.
Objective 3: To create and distribute a suitable questionnaire aimed at participants of
selected events held in Campbeltown, which will provide useful insight into the events
which are currently being visited and the reasons for this.
In order to meet this objective a simple ten question survey was created, starting with
demographic questions to help identify who is visiting the events in the area, as well as
questions related to the events which are held in the area, to help identify which events are
most popular as well as the views and opinions which the respondents have on the events.
The next part of the questionnaire then asked the respondents to identify if they would return
to the area and event, and also if they would recommend the area and event. This helped to
identify the satisfaction and loyalty levels which people have with the event and also the area
in general.

57. - 49 -
Objective 4: To identify and contact local organisations, committees and individuals
which are best placed to distribute the questionnaire to people who visit events in the
area
To distribute the questionnaire appropriately it was sent to two key contacts in the town, the
first being Explore Campbeltown, which is an organisation which draws together
organisations of all kinds in the area to promote the area and advertise upcoming events. The
survey was then shared on the ‘Facebook’ page of Explore Campbeltown in order to
maximise the number of visitors who would be able to see and complete the survey. The
second contact was a key organiser of the MOKRun. Again, the survey was sent and was
subsequently distributed to the MOKRun mailing list. This allowed for visitors to the area to
complete the survey. A third contact had been identified, but due to the substantial number of
people who had already successfully completed the survey it was decided that it would not be
necessary to use this source for further distribution.
Objective 5: To suggest recommendations which are achievable and realistic, based on
an evaluation of both primary and secondary sources of research, and will serve the
organisations and committees which organise events in the area for the successful
delivery of future events.
This objective has been met through consideration of the events in the area throughout the
entirety of this project. By keeping this objective relevant throughout the initial review of the
literature, the primary research which has been conducted and also in the conclusions which
have been drawn and the recommendations which have been made it has allowed for
successful completion of this objective.

58. - 50 -
5.3 Recommendations
Recommendation 1: Focus of Study-
Based on the primary and secondary research which has been conducted, the first
recommendation to be suggested is for the organisations in the area which organise and plan
the events in the area. For the MOK Run, it was suggested by survey respondents that the
difficulty in gaining late entry to the event made it difficult to plan far enough ahead to
successfully acquire entry for the event. One way in which this could be remedied would be
to hold two rounds of entry. One of these would be the bulk of the places made available at
the normal time, with a small number of tickets being held back for a later date. The
remaining entry spaces could then be released closer to the event as ‘last chance’ entries,
allowing people who would not normally be able to attend the event due to commitment
issues the chance to review their other commitments and still have the chance of getting a
place in the event.
For the MOK Music Festival, it can be suggested that they look at the possibility of hosting at
least some of the elements of the event on or around some of the beaches in the area. Given
the fact that a number of the respondents suggested the beaches and coastline as reasons for
returning to or recommending the area this could help to make the event a more ‘immersive
experience’, and would possibly encourage more people to attend the event, ultimately
generating more income for the local economy. In doing this however, the focus of the event
may have to change to appeal to a specifically chosen target market, selecting the bands and
artists, as well as other entertainment elements to suit the tastes of the target market.
Recommendation 2: Fieldwork-
In order to make the research which was conducted more conclusive a bigger sample size
should be used. This would enable more accurate conclusions to be drawn from the primary
research as there would be a bigger number of respondents to overcome any anomalies or
invalid responses. A further recommendation for improvement could be to make the focus of
the research more specific, in selecting one event in the area to study. This would allow for
more in-depth analysis of the specific event which has been chosen to be made about the
area. In doing this the event could be analysed for the effects which it has on the area, this
would allow for all of the effects which an event can have to be studied relative to the area,
allowing for the study of other effects such as the social impacts to also be considered for the
residents of the area as well as the visitors to the area.

59. - 51 -
Recommendation 3: Further Areas of Study-
Given the success of this research project, it should be suggested that a similar study be
undertaken, with the focus being on another similarly rural or coastal tourism destination in
Scotland or somewhere else in the UK. This would help to clarify if the town of
Campbeltown is an exceptional example of such a destination or if it is on par with other
areas in terms of attracting repeat visitors. An alternative for further study could be to keep
the area of focus on Campbeltown, and consider other marketing techniques instead of events
and festivals. This would allow for further analysis of the success of marketing Campbeltown
as a coastal or rural tourist destination.

60. - 52 -
5.4 Limitations ofDissertation
Although this dissertation project has been successful there have been some issues which
have been faced during the undertaking of the project. Time constraints have been the main
issue faced throughout the project. This has affected most aspects of the projects including
the extent to which the literature could be explored and reviewed; the time which the survey
could be left to gather responses; and the overall writing and completion of the project. This
has been overcome through extensive planning of each chapter and element of the
dissertation which has meant that everything has been conducted as quickly and efficiently as
possible whilst dealing with the time constraints.
Another limitation which has been met in the dissertation is the fact that the project and
primary research has not been conducted during the peak tourism season, or during the
hosting of the events which have been specified. This would have allowed for face to face
questionnaires or interviews to be conducted with visitors to the area whilst they were
attending events, and possibly giving more accurate answers as any issues with questions
could be clarified by the researcher, as well as allowing for follow up questions to be asked
dependent on the responses given. This has been overcome by utilising social media and
mailing lists of key contacts in the area, allowing for a suitable alternative to be put in place.

61. - 53 -
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62. - 54 -
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Appendices

68. - 60 -
Appendix A- Example of Questionnaire
1. What is yourgender?
Female
Male
Prefernotto say
2. What is yourage?
16 to 24
25 to 34
35 to 44
45 to 54
55 to 64
65 or older
* 3. Where do youlive?
* 4. Whichevent(s) have youpreviouslyvisitedthe areatoattend?
MOK Music Festival
MOK Run (10K and Half Marathon)
CampbeltownChristmasWeekendandLights'SwitchOn'
Other(please specify)
* 5. Wouldyouattendthe eventagainandwhy?
Yes
No

69. - 61 -
Reasonsforattending/notattending
6. Have yourevisitedthe areasince the event andwhy?
Yes
No
Reasonsforreturn
7. Do intendtorevisitthe areaandwhy?
Yes
No
Reasonsforreturn/notreturning
* 8. Wouldyourecommendthe eventtoothers,andwhy?
Yes
No
Reasonswhy/whynot
* 9. Wouldyourecommendthe areato others,andwhy?
Yes
No
Reasonswhy/whynot
* 10. What othereventsdoyouattend?

70. - 62 -
Appendix B- Sample of Questionnaire Results
Q1: What is your gender?
 Female
Q2: What is your age?
 35 to 44
Q3: Where do you live?
Melbourne,Florida
Q4: Which event(s) have you previously visited the area to attend?
 MOK Music Festival
 MOK Run (10K and Half Marathon)
Q5: Would you attend the event again and why?
 Yes
 Reasons for attending/ not attending Very well organised and entertaining.Plentyfor all ages and
stages to enjoy!
Q6: Have you revisited the area since the event and why?
 Yes
 Reasons for return Visiting family
Q7: Do intend to revisit the area and why?
 Reasons for return/not returning Visiting familyand hopefullyattending some local events
Q8: Would you recommendthe event to others, and why?
 Yes
 Reasons why/why not It is quite different for other events outside the area,epeciallyas it has a
personal,intimate feel to it.
Q9: Would you recommendthe area to others, and why?
 Yes
 Reasons why/why not I invite others to the area to enjoy a small communityfeel and the entertainment
is first class!
Q10: What other events do you attend?
Whatever is happening during myvisitwithin Kintyre. Highland Games,Familystyle events.

71. - 63 -
Q1: What is your gender?
 Female
Q2: What is your age?
 35 to 44
Q3: Where do you live?
Glasgow
Q4: Which event(s) have you previously visited the area to attend?
 MOK Music Festival
 MOK Run (10K and Half Marathon)
 Other (please specify) MOK bike and
MOK tri
Q5: Would you attend the event again and why?
 Yes
 Reasons for attending/ not attending It
was good lasttime.I'd not attend the MOK
run as it usuallyfills up very fast 5 months
before it takes place.Often by this time,
people have often changed their plans and
can no longer attend. I like the other
events more and really enjoyed the MOK
tri lastyear.
Q6: Have you revisited the area since the event and why?
 Yes
 Reasons for return My parents live in
Campbeltown.
Q7: Do intend to revisit the area and why?
 Reasons for return/not returning Yes -
my parents live there and I really like the
area, it's very relaxing and I like travelling
by ferry with my bike when it is open in the
summer months.
Q8: Would you recommendthe event to others, and why?
 Yes
 Reasons why/why not The MOK bike
and MOK tri - yes as these aren'tas well
known as the MOK run.
Q9: Would you recommendthe area to others, and why?
 Yes
 Reasons why/why not Yes. There is lots
to do like visit historical places and the
beach.Sometimes good weather helps
but if it's raining aqualibrium is a good fall-
back.
Q10: What other events do you attend?
None really.

72. - 64 -
Q1: What is your gender?
 Female
Q2: What is your age?
 45 to 54
Q3: Where do you live?
Cardiff
Q4: Which event(s) have you previously visited the area to attend?
 MOK Music Festival
 Other (please specify) New year 2000.Gigha Raft Race.
Q5: Would you attend the event again and why?
 No
 Reasons for attending/ not attending Would love to go to music festival butdates never work for us.
Also Gigha music festival.Not in school holidays so impossible
Q6: Have you revisited the area since the event and why?
 Reasons for return Regular visitor.Mother from Campbeltown.Sister lives on Gigha
Q7: Do intend to revisit the area and why?
 Reasons for return/not returning Regular visitor
Q8: Would you recommendthe event to others, and why?
 No
 Reasons why/why not Long way to go. Would have to be amazing acts to recommend the actual
event.
Q9: Would you recommendthe area to others, and why?
 No
 Reasons why/why not The area is beautiful and relatively quiet.
Q10: What other events do you attend?
Edinburgh festival.Mainly fringe.

73. - 65 -
Q1: What is your gender?
 Female
Q2: What is your age?
 55 to 64
Q3: Where do you live?
Texas
Q4: Which event(s) have you previously visited the area to attend?
 MOK Music Festival
Q5: Would you attend the event again and why?
 Yes
 Reasons for attending/ not attending Great weekend seeing everyone you have not seen for years.
Q6: Have you revisited the area since the event and why?
 No
 Reasons for return No money
Q7: Do intend to revisit the area and why?
 Reasons for return/not returning Festival
Q8: Would you recommendthe event to others, and why?
 Yes
 Reasons why/why not Great place to visit
Q9: Would you recommendthe area to others, and why?
 Yes
 Reasons why/why not No place like home
Q10: What other events do you attend?
None