Event Tourism in Asian Countries: Challenges and Prospects

Events, including repeat annual events, have the unique ability to drive sustainable tourism to certain areas and regions and to generate economic benefits for local communities. The events industry has grown dramatically over the last several decades, and there has been increased participation from governments, local communities, and the private sector. This new volume offers a wide variety of research, experience, and examples of events in Asia, including business meetings and conferences, destination weddings, carnivals, food and art festivals, music festivals and concerts, cultural and traditional events, religious and spiritual gatherings, sports events, and others.

The authors, from various parts of Asia, give illustrative examples of events tourism from their home countries, including India, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Malaysia, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan. The diverse perspectives are from stakeholders, travelers, researchers, academicians, professionals in the event and tourism industry, and the community. The chapters in the volume cover the changing trends in the event tourism industry, the influence and role of social media and other technology, the contribution of women in events and festivals, and the impact of event tourism in economic development on local communities.

Addressing the issues, challenges, and future of event tourism and management, this new volume will be a valuable addition to the library of event professionals, hospitality and tourism researchers, community development managers, and others in Asia and elsewhere.

Shruti Arora, PhD, is currently working as a guest faculty in the Department of Commerce and Management, University of Kota, Kota, Rajasthan, India. She has over 10 years of experience in education. Her core subjects are marketing, general management, international business management, and customer relationship management. She has published several research papers in international refereed journals and one chapter in edited book in the Routledge Advances in Event Research Series in 2018. She has also authored the book Event Management and Marketing: Theory, Practical Approaches and Planning.

Anukrati Sharma, PhD, is currently working as an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Commerce and Management, University of Kota, Kota, Rajasthan, India. Dr. Sharma has worked as an internal trainer and teacher in the management arena. In 2015, she received a Research Award from the University Grants Commission (UGC), New Delhi, India, for her project, Analysis of the Status of Tourism in Hadoti and Shekhawati Region/Circuit (Rajasthan): Opportunities, Challenges, and Future Prospects, and she completed her dissertation research on Tourism in Rajasthan‚ Progress & Prospects. She has two postgraduate degree specialties‚ one in International Business (Master of International Business) and the other in Business Administration (Master of Commerce). Her special interest areas are tourism, tourism marketing, strategic management, general management, and international business management. She has edited several books, including Tourism: Opportunities and Ventures; Maximizing Business Performance and Efficiency through Intelligent Systems (IGI Global); Sustainable Tourism Development: Futuristic Approaches (Apple Academic Press/CRC Press); Tourism Events in Asia Marketing and Development (Routledge); and Sustainable Destination Branding and Marketing: Strategies for Tourism Development (CABI, UK). She has authored the book Event Management and Marketing Theory, Practical Approaches and Planning and the book International Best Practice in Event Management (United Kingdom Event Industry Academy Ltd. and Prasetiya Mulya Publishing, Indonesia). She has also edited The Emerald Handbook of ICT in Tourism and Hospitality (Emerald Publishing UK), which is in press now. Dr. Sharma is a member of several professional organizations, and she has attended a number of national and international conferences and presented 45 papers. She has been invited as a keynote speaker for talks, lectures, and panel discussions by several countries, including Sri Lanka, Nepal, Uzbekistan, and Turkey.