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WHATT 11,5 The UNTOLD story Event tourism’s negative impact on residents’ community life and well-being Ovidiu Ioan Moisescu 492 Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania Oana Adriana Gic a and Monica Maria Coros, Faculty of Business, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, and Anca C. Yallop Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand
Abstract Purpose – This paper aims to examine the negative effects of events on residents’ quality of life. Particularly, the paper analyses the specific negative effects generated via “overtourism” for the duration of large-scale music festivals. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses a case study method approach to examine the negative effects that UNTOLD, the largest music festival in Romania, has on residents’ quality of life. The case is analysed via a comprehensive desk research of secondary data from industry and academic sources. Findings – Despite its success and the positive economic impact UNTOLD festival had on the host city, several issues have a negative impact on residents’ quality of life and well-being. The negative impacts are noise pollution, vandalism and crime, traffic and parking issues, waste and damages to the natural environment, pressure on and over usage of local services and infrastructure and the increased cost of living. Social implications – Whilst organisers, local businesses and local authorities are the main parties benefiting from events, residents mainly feel the negative impact. Organisers, local authorities and businesses need to minimise the negative effects residents’ experience during the event by building sustainable partnerships and taking a more hands-on approach to sustainable and socially responsible practices. Current and potential initiatives are discussed in the paper. Originality/value – This paper examines the negative impacts events may have on residents’ quality of life and discusses the case of a large-scale music festival, an under-researched context. The analysis and discussion may assist scholars and industry experts alike in generating new debates in sustainable event management practices, as well as festival organisers and public authorities in developing strategies for avoiding, containing or minimising the negative effects of events. Keywords Romania, Quality of life, Overtourism, Festivals, Event tourism, Negative impacts Paper type Research paper
Introduction Tourism, in general, is a strategic instrument for generating sustainable regional development of tourism destinations. Event tourism, in particular, represents a viable alternative for tourism policy-makers (Murphy et al., 2007; Getz, 2008), with events playing a Worldwide Hospitality and fi Tourism Themes signi cant role in the tourism development of different destinations (Gratton et al.,2000; Vol. 11 No. 5, 2019 Agha and Taks, 2015). As a key tourism determinant, events became a prominent element in pp. 492-505 © Emerald Publishing Limited the development plans of many tourism destinations, their role in generating destination 1755-4217 DOI 10.1108/WHATT-06-2019-0036 competitiveness being increasingly acknowledged (Getz, 2008). Tourism destinations expect events to provide them with significant economic benefits by attracting visitors whose Residents’ expenditures would positively contribute to the wealth of the local community (Crompton community life et al.,2001). Events are also likely to play an important role in enhancing residents’ well- being and overall quality of life, as they provide opportunities for enhancing social interactions and relationships (Yolal et al., 2016). Thus, event tourism can boost people’s happiness, i.e. the happiness of both visitors and local communities (Nawijn and Mitas, 2012). 493 However, despite the positive impact on local economies and residents’ quality of life and the generally positive framework events are depicted in, event tourism has recently been the subject of concern in relation to quality of life and community resources (Yolal et al.,2016). Thenegativeeffectsofeventsonlocalcommunities’ quality of life described in the literature are: the increased cost of living, traffic congestion, crowding, crime, property damage, pollution, deterioration of natural, cultural or historical resources and other various forms of discomfort experienced by residents or local businesses (Delamere et al., 2001; Delamere, 2001; O’Sullivan and Jackson, 2002; Fredline et al.,2003; Gursoy et al., 2004; Gursoy and Kendall, 2006). At the same time, large-scale events raise questions regarding the pressure they put on the local public infrastructure and services. Building of facilities required for such large-scale events is often perceived by many residents as a waste of public money, whilst allocated public funds are often seen as mostly benefiting the privileged elites, who, typically, are the ones organising and running these events, with the cooperation and support of public authorities (Gotham, 2011; Yolal et al., 2016; Gursoy et al., 2017). Due to the pressure events pose on local resources and their potential negative effects on (at least a part of) residents’ well-being and overall quality of life, it can be assumed that events can lead to “overtourism”, especially when they have proved to be successful along the years. By attracting a large number of participants from outside local communities, events can make destinations suffer the strain of tourism, the number of visitors being above the carrying capacity of the destination (Séraphin et al.,2018) for the duration of the events. As event tourism continues to grow rapidly (Diedering and Kwiatkowski, 2015), it is expected that the debate regarding the negative effects of events on residents’ quality of life, as well as the risk of events-based “overtourism”, will become more widespread. Even though research on the relationship between tourism and well-being, as one of the most critical determinants of overall quality of life (Kim et al., 2013), has increased rapidly in the past years, this research has been mostly directed at the well-being of tourists, whilst the residents have received much less attention (Nawijn and Mitas, 2012). Moreover, most studies investigating the impact of events on local communities have focused on the positive aspects of this impact. Therefore, more research into events’ negative effects on residents’ quality of life is needed. For this reason, this paper examines the negative effects of events on residents’ quality of life and uses the case of the largest festival in Romania (the UNTOLD music festival) to analyse the specific negative effects generated via “overtourism” for the duration of the event.
The impact of event tourism on local communities’ quality of life The concept of “quality of life” is primarily concerned with whether people live a good life, with reference to people’s well-being, happiness and life satisfaction and is often used interchangeably with terms such as life satisfaction and well-being (Yolal et al., 2016). WHATT Amongst many other factors, the quality of life of both visitors and locals/residents can 11,5 be significantly influenced by tourism development in general and event tourism in particular (Uysal et al.,2016; Langen and Garcia, 2009). However, for residents, the impact of event tourism on their well-being and overall quality of life may be twofold in nature, i.e. with both positive and negative effects (Rivera et al., 2016). Drawing on examples of cases from sporting, cultural and community events, previous 494 research on the positive effects of events on local communities’ quality of life has outlined various views. One of the most significant positive consequence emphasised in the literature is related to the economic impact of events on host destinations. These positive effects on the economy further translate into increased employment, tax revenues for local authorities, business opportunities and additional revenue for host places and their residents (Fredline et al.,2003; Gursoy et al., 2004; Deery and Jago, 2010; Small, 2007; Chen, 2011; Yolal et al., 2016). All these economic benefits further enhance residents’ quality of life. At the same time, events can generate socio-cultural benefits for residents. Events can create a sense of community amongst residents, therefore stimulating community pride and cohesiveness (Delamere et al.,2001; Fredline et al., 2003; Gursoy et al., 2004; Small, 2007; Deery and Jago, 2010; Chen, 2011; Yolal et al.,2016). In addition, events provide an enriched social life, entertainment and recreational opportunities for locals. The facilities and infrastructure that are built for events may become recreational venues for residents, providing opportunities for excitement, fun and cultural entertainment for the host community not only during the event, but also afterwards (Delamere et al., 2001; Fredline et al.,2003; Gursoy et al.,2004; Small, 2007; Deery and Jago, 2010; Yolal et al.,2016). Moreover, to support event tourism, local authorities may create and enforce specific laws and regulations and may invest significantly in the restoration of historical sites, preservation of local cultures and conservation of natural resources (Chen, 2011). Although the negative effects of events on host communities’ quality of life have received much less attention in the literature, an increasing number of authors are acknowledging this neglected “side of the story” (see Table I). The most significant and prominent negative consequences of events on locals’ quality of life discussed in the academic literature refer to increased traffic and congestion and the disruption of residents’ lives and communities’ normal routines; other recurrent issues are increased vandalism and delinquent activity, as well as noise levels which are often increasing to unacceptable levels during events; excessive drinking and drug abuse, parking problems, littering, damages to the natural environment, pressure on and over-usage of local services and infrastructure, increased cost of living and overcrowding represent other possible consequences of events, which can further decrease local communities’ overall quality of living (Delamere et al., 2001; Fredline et al.,2003; Gursoy et al., 2004; Small, 2007; Deery and Jago, 2010; Chen, 2011; Rivera et al., 2016; Yolal et al.,2016). In addition, although events are generally considered to create opportunities for local business, they can also create dissatisfaction amongst local businesses due to possible interruptions of their daily business cycle and operations (Yolal et al., 2016). Despite the fact that scholars, particularly during the past decade, have recognised the negative effects of events on host communities’ quality of life, these issues are highly current and valid, and they still remain to be further addressed and analysed in more depth, having received little attention in the literature so far compared to the research on the positive effects of events. Moreover, previous studies on the impact of festivals and events on residents’ quality of life (Gursoy et al.,2004; Chen, 2011; Kim et al., 2013; Yolal et al.,2016) have generally focused on residents’ perceptions of these effects (measured via Residents’ Negative consequences Academic literature sources community life Vandalism, delinquent activity and crime Delamere et al. (2001), Fredline et al. (2003), Small (2007), Deery and Jago (2010), Yolal et al. (2016) Excessive drinking and drug abuse Fredline et al. (2003), Deery and Jago (2010) Increased traffic and congestions Delamere et al. (2001), Fredline et al. (2003), Gursoy et al. (2004), Small (2007), Deery and Jago (2010), Chen (2011), Yolal et al. (2016) 495 Noise level increased to an unacceptable Delamere et al. (2001), Fredline et al. (2003), Small (2007), point Deery and Jago (2010), Yolal et al. (2016) Parking problems Fredline et al. (2003), Small (2007), Deery and Jago (2010) Litter Delamere et al. (2001), Fredline et al. (2003), Small (2007), Deery and Jago (2010) Damages to the natural environment Delamere et al. (2001), Fredline et al. (2003), Deery and Jago (2010), Chen (2011) Pressure on and over-usage of local services Delamere et al. (2001), Gursoy et al. (2004), Chen (2011), Yolal Table I. and infrastructure et al. (2016) Disruption of the lives of residents Delamere et al. (2001), Fredline et al. (2003), Small (2007), Negative Deery and Jago (2010), Chen (2011), Rivera et al. (2016) consequences of Increased cost of living Fredline et al. (2003), Deery and Jago (2010); events on locals’ Overcrowding Delamere et al. (2001), Small (2007), Deery and Jago (2010) quality of life questionnaire-based surveys) that do not necessarily represent the actual and/or the complete picture of the outcomes of events. Consequently, drawing on actual and relevant academic and industry data, this paper proposes to explore and explain the negative effects that large-scale events, in general, and music festivals, in particular, have on residents’ quality of life.
Context The UNTOLD festival is the largest music festival in Romania, which is held each year in the city of Cluj-Napoca, Cluj County’s capital and the second largest city of Romania, with a population of approximately 350,000, located in the historic region of Transylvania. The festival received several awards such as the “Best Major Festival” award from the European Festival Awards, “Brand of the Year” award received from the International Advertising Association Romania and at the 2018 Romanian Hospitality Awards, the festival was nominated as the best festival of any kind in Romania. The festival was launched in 2015, is focused on electronic music and, from its first edition, was a huge success. For the first edition of the festival, the organisers received a significant financial aid from the City Council of Cluj-Napoca (more than EUR750,000), particularly because that year the city of Cluj-Napoca was nominated as the European Youth Capital and the festival was a central event of this project. At its first edition, the festival recorded 240,000 participants, a number that grew to 330,000 attendees in 2017 and 355,000 in 2018. Overall, approximately two-third of the participants originate from outside the city, with around 10 per cent international participants mostly from the UK, Germany, France, Hungary, Italy and Spain. In 2018, the festival generated over EUR45m for the local community (Infotainmant, 2018), whilst in 2017, it produced participant spending of more than EUR5.7m on accommodation services, and more than EUR14.4m on food and beverages, transport, retail and other expenses (Moisescu, 2018). Most of this revenue benefited local accommodation providers and other local businesses, as well as the local council (Moisescu, 2018). WHATT Research methodology 11,5 This paper examines the negative impact of event tourism on the quality of life of local communities. Using a case study methodological approach, the paper uses the case of UNTOLD, the largest festival in Romania, and examines its effects on the host city residents’ quality of life, with a focus on specific negative effects generated via “overtourism” for the duration of the event. 496 This research study seeks to explore and understand a complex and contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context; therefore, the case study method was considered the most appropriate (Yin, 1994). The case was analysed via a comprehensive desk research of secondary data from industry and academic sources. Data sources such as press articles, local and national newspapers and news agencies, as well as online forums and public reports were consulted and analysed in the study. A detailed content analysis was performed on the collected secondary data which was further filtered and structured into categories and themes relating to key negative effects such as: disruption of residents’ lives; vandalism, delinquent activity and crime; traffic and parking; waste and damages to the natural environment; pressure on and over usage of local services and infrastructure; and increased cost of living.
Results and discussion The research analysis has revealed that, despite its success and the positive economic impact that the UNTOLD festival has had on the city of Cluj-Napoca, several issues had a significant negative impact on community’s life and well-being. These negative impacts are addressed in this section of the paper. Whilst some of the negative effects depicted in the case analysed in this paper were highlighted by other scholars in previous literature, only few of them, however, achieved a complete and actual picture of the issues pertaining to large-scale festivals, as most previous research has focused on assessing residents’ perceptions, with little or no support from actual festival data. Furthermore, research on the negative impacts of festivals in Eastern Europe is non-existent, a region with various specifics and particularities compared to, e.g. Western Europe. Equally important for this case is the fact that UNTOLD festival is the only large-scale music festival that takes place in the actual centre of a city with a large population.
Disruption of residents’ lives Residents of Cluj-Napoca experience the negative impact of the festival on their daily lives in various forms, mainly due to the location chosen for the event. UNTOLD takes place in the centre of the city, within the Central Park of the city, near several residential areas and near several hospitals (e.g. Children’s Hospital – 450 m, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Clinic – 170 m). The noise levels as well as the ban on public access in the Central Park and the surrounding streets during the event (all being surrounded by secured fencing by the festival’s organisers) represent the main negative issues, which are frequently reported by most national and local newspapers and news agencies (Hotnews, 2016; Lungu, 2018). Noise pollution is, arguably, the most significant negative impact, preventing nearby residents and hospital patients from resting during the four days of the festival, thus affecting their work capacity, health and well-being. People living in close vicinity to the festival’s venue have publicly expressed their dissatisfaction generated by the disturbing noise of the music played all night long. Amongst the most affected categories are families (especially those with small children), local active people who cannot rest during the night, as well as patients of the Children’s Hospital (especially those from the surgery section) and people suffering from cardiovascular diseases (both clinics being located nearby the Residents’ premises of the festival). The noise generated within the event’s premises spread out and community life affected nearly the entire city, reaching out neighbourhoods previously unaffected. Over the past four years, more and more people have expressed their disappointment and disapproval related to the fact that the public administration and, particularly, the City Hall seem to ignore their discomfort and consider the economic and destination marketing benefits of the festival to overpass its negative effects. The affected citizens criticised local 497 authorities for supporting the festival. At the same time, however, local authorities thanked the locals for being tolerant and for coping with the noise whilst ensuring them that measures were going to be implemented to diminish their discomfort, albeit without a consideration to relocate the festival. Nevertheless, even though during recent editions the main stage of the festival was technologically enhanced to minimise the noise spread outside the venue, smaller stages placed in the Central Park of the city became louder. Thus, the levels of overall noise increased instead of decreasing, going beyond legally accepted levels, which resulted in fines issued by local authorities to organisers (Scutaru, 2017; Scutaru, 2018; Ghilas, ,2018; Lungu, 2018; Dragot a, 2018a). In July 2017, an online petition was initiated by the public, requesting public authorities to change the location of the festival and stating that “just as other festivals can operate outside the city, we, citizens of Cluj-Napoca and neighbouring communes, request the move of Untold from the city centre”. The petitioners argued that: [...] as it is now managed, the festival hinders the right to the city of the inhabitants and those who work here, through abusive occupation of public spaces (parks and parking lots), unnecessary blocking of traffic and noise pollution for several days (Pop, 2017). Similar to previous literature that suggests noise is a negative outcome of festivals (Gursoy et al.,2004; Small, 2007; Yolal et al.,2016), in the case of UNTOLD, noise is a real issue. In addition, restricting residents’ access to otherwise public places, such as the city’s Central Park, represents a new and different negative issue associated with a festival.
Vandalism, delinquent activity and crime Large gatherings of people during festivals are quite often associated with delinquent activities, felonies and crimes (Delamere et al., 2001; Fredline et al., 2003). Inherently, this was another negative aspect of the UNTOLD festival. According to the official reports, most of the legal problems identified during the festival’s latest edition (81 out of 100 cases) were related to: possession, consumption and/or sale of drugs; pick pocketing; selling of forged tickets. Over 140 people were fined for various reasons, including: public disorder, disgraceful social behaviour, illicit trade, unlawful driving, provision of unauthorised taxi and rent-a-car services, whilst 145 legal complaints were filed against various participants. The applied fines added up to nearly EUR17,000 (Mediafax, 2018; S, tiri de Cluj, 2018). Although prohibited, alcohol consumption and underage drinking were also a problem at the festival. (Alexa, 2018). Negative issues related to anti-social behaviour such as vandalism, delinquent activity and crime can often be more important than other impacts because they affect the community image, become a focus for media exaggeration and have the potential to change long-term positive impacts such as community pride (Deery and Jago, 2010). Therefore, even though the number of reported anti-social behaviour cases at UNTOLD might seem relatively low (i.e. about 100 cases out of several hundreds of thousands of participants), their damaging potential is high. WHATT Traffic and parking 11,5 The festival takes place in the central area of the city, within a closed perimeter. More than two-third of the Central Park, the Cluj Arena and the Polyvalent Hall, as well as their neighbouring areas and streets are surrounded by secured fences and are closed for people who do not attend the festival. Cluj-Napoca’s main central streets are rather narrow, as they kept their original structure since Medieval and Modern times. Moreover, the city lacks a 498 complete surrounding belt road and, consequently, drivers and commuters are forced to transit the city centre. In this context, blocking some of the downtown’s main streets during the festival area raises genuine traffic challenges. Thus, alternative main roads become overcrowded, major bus lines need to be redirected, whilst tramlines need to be replaced with buses with altered routes (Goțiu, 2015; Lic a, 2018; Ghilas, , 2018). These in turn generate significant traffic delays and dissatisfaction for the end-users of transportation infrastructure and services. Even though the festival takes place in August, many locals are not actually on holidays and are disturbed by trafficjams(Goțiu, 2015; Lic a, 2018; Ghilas, , 2018). One of the problems the city of Cluj-Napoca is confronted with is its poor parking facilities, particularly in the city centre, causing difficulties not only for residents, but also for those coming to the city for various purposes (business, tourism, healthcare). The festival attracts participants from all over the country, many of them choosing to come by car. Thus, 100,000 automobiles arrived in Cluj-Napoca for the last edition of UNTOLD. As Cluj Arena parking and Polyvalent Hall parking were closed during the festival, finding a parking space in the central area and surrounding neighbourhoods was extremely problematic. Given the underdeveloped road and parking infrastructure of the city, the consequences were congestion and traffic jams (ProTV, 2018a; ProTV, 2018b).
Waste and damages to the natural environment Given the large numbers of participants, festivals are commonly associated with significant quantities of litter and waste. Locals raised environmental concerns, as the city’s Central Park is affected by the major cultural events that take place here. At the end of each event, huge amounts of litter need to be picked up, sorted and dealt with. The growing popularity of UNTOLD has contributed directly to the significant increase of litter and waste, i.e. from around 120 tons in 2015 (Fartusnic, 2015), to approximately 200 tons in 2017 and over 700 tons in 2018. According to one of the main local waste management companies, only about a third of this amount of waste is in fact recyclable (Ghilas, ,2018; Libertatea, 2015). The Central Park was officially declared a historical site, as it is one of the first gardens in Eastern Europe meant to be used by the larger public. The park was recently rehabilitated and represents one of the most important promenade and leisure spot for the local community. Both participants and organisers of the festival are held responsible for the destruction of the festival premises during the festival. After each edition of the festival, the park must undergo significant refurbishing processes (particularly grass re-planting), which, even though it should be done by the event organisers, it is the City Council that ultimately has a responsibility to ensure the maintenance of the park (Ziar de Cluj, 2017). Considering these negative effects, event organisers and public authorities should seek solutions to improve the event’s environmental impact, by promoting recycling and waste management, as previous research suggested a strong relationship between festivals’ green involvement and their price premiums participants are willing to pay (Moisescu et al., 2019). Pressure on and over usage of local services and infrastructure Residents’ The General Inspectorate for Emergencies reported that in 2018, between 2 and 5 August, community life more than 700 firefighters, emergency medical personnel and Mobile Emergency Service for Resuscitation and Extrication volunteers provided additional support at the festival (Topai, 2018). Because Cluj County alone could not provide sufficient human resources, firefighters from five neighbouring counties were mobilised. In total, there were 2,500 people mobilised to ensure the safety of the participants. Rescuers provided qualified first aid for 1,639 people 499 who reported medical problems during the festival. This number is larger than the number of similar cases reported in Bucharest, the capital city of Romania, with a population six times larger than that of Cluj-Napoca, during the same year’s Easter holiday (Topai, 2018). The pressure on medical services usually starts a week before the UNTOLD festival, when Cluj hospitals start to take over only serious emergencies, some of the patients being sent home, whilst admissions are postponed as far as possible until the end of the festival. The County Clinical Hospital in Cluj, which currently has 1,542 beds, started the preparations for the 2017 edition of Untold two weeks before the festival began, with doctors having to postpone treatment for chronic patients or other non-urgent cases (Simina, 2017). Furthermore, each year, strains are being placed on the support infrastructure due to vandalism. Many of Cluj Arena’s chairs are usually damaged or destroyed, whilst the sport infrastructure is also significantly damaged due to the poor protection materials used by the festival organisers to cover the sports field and running tracks. This situation further hinders the normal activity of sports teams and athletes. Although the legal agreement between Cluj Arena’s administrators and festival organisers stipulate that all damages would be fixed by the organisers, the county’s administration had to buy replacement seats for the tribunes of the Cluj Arena (Dragot a, 2018b; Olariu, 2015; Moldovan, 2016).
Increased cost of living Tens of thousands of people from other counties of Romania or from abroad attend the UNTOLD festival each year (see Table II). This generates a much higher demand for accommodation than usual, the capacity of the city’s lodging units (approximately 15,000 places) being surpassed. As a result, the reservations in a radius of 30 km around Cluj- Napoca, are being made months before, whilst hotel prices increase by four times or more. An alternative lodging option during the festival is provided by accommodation offered by locals in their own homes. Many residents leave town during the event and rent out their apartments. Their offer is promoted on dedicated social media groups or on various sales platforms, which also inflates the accommodation prices for the duration of the festival, with prices usually twice or even three times higher than during the rest of the year (Hotnews, 2016; Adev arul, 2016). Another consequence of the success of UNTOLD and other events in Cluj-Napoca is the demand for housing in Cluj-Napoca, with property prices rising steadily, the cost for housing per square meter becoming the highest in Romania (Ghilas, ,2018).
Festival data 2015 2016 2017 2018
Number of participants 240,000 300,000 330,000 35,500 Duration 4 days 4 days 4 days 4 days Period 30 July to 2 August 4-7 August 3-6 August 2-5 August Table II. Source: UNTOLD festival follow-up reports (2015-2018) Untold festival data WHATT Locals’ favourite terraces do not accept reservations during the festival, to be able to cope 11,5 with the continuous flow of customers. Like hotels, restaurants follow a similar pattern of increasing prices for the duration of the festival. According to Uber’s spokesperson in Romania, the company’s tariffs have also increased, up to four times the normal value because of the tens of thousands of UNTOLD participants, with a huge demand for transport in the early mornings, after the concerts (Simina, 2017). 500 The increased cost of living due to the event is of concern, especially because this situation may not be just temporary (during the event itself), as several regular major events take place in the city yearly. Real estate owners can generate large revenues several times a year during festivals and may decide to pull the property out of the long-term rental market, to only focus on short-term renting for events, thus putting pressure on the real estate market and creating higher costs for residents or local workers who need permanent accommodation in the city.
Concluding remarks and recommendations UNTOLD is an award-winning festival, one of the most successful music festivals in Europe. The success of the event is not only because of the increasing number of participants each year but also because of the benefits it brings to Cluj-Napoca (the host city) as a tourism destination, as large amounts of money are attracted in the community, whilst the city’s image is promoted internationally in a positive manner. Indeed, Séraphin et al. (2019a) suggest that events may be a suitable tool for destination branding, as they may enhance the city’s image, may foster a sense of community, trust and cooperation in the community and may attract tourists and investment, hence driving economic growth (Richards, 2014, cited in Séraphin et al., 2019a). However, one may argue that a distinction needs to be made between events, a form of non-permanent attractions within a host destination, and built attractions and heritage, which are permanent. Certainly, both these forms of attractions can be of interest to visitors (Séraphin et al., 2019b). Without doubt, despite the seasonality element attached to music festivals such as UNTOLD, community- based festivals may be a dialogical space (i.e. a space where real encounters between residents and visitors are fostered for the benefit of the local community) and an educational tool (Séraphin et al., 2019b). Evidently, the challenge then is to be able to create such a dialogical space, which benefits both parties, and minimises the negative consequences for local communities’ quality of life and “overtourism” that large-scale events, such as UNTOLD, may create. Nevertheless, most studies argue that the positive effects of event tourism are likely to surpass all the negative consequences it might have on host places and their communities’ quality of life (Gursoy and Kendall, 2006), particularly when these negative influences are counteracted. Recent examples of good and sustainable practices implemented by UNTOLD demonstrate that the festival has taken some good initiatives in doing that, such as the following: UNTOLD is the first European festival to establish a partnership with the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee of the European Parliament with the objective of becoming a 100 per cent sustainable and green festival. To this end, the organisers proposed to carry out a series of actions to raise youth awareness about recycling and plastics’ impact on the environment, thus turning UNTOLD into a good example of a festival orientated towards environmental sustainability. Some of the first such initiatives were the use of recycled materials, the selective collection of waste and the use of electric transportation, actions undertaken in collaboration with other festival partners (Vizan, 2018). UNTOLD organisers also ran a series of social campaigns such as: “Blood Network” (those who donated blood benefited from a significant festival fee discount), “A 10 for the Graduation Exam” (free access to graduates who obtained the maximum average score at Residents’ the high school graduation exam), “Transylvania All Inclusive” (discounts or other facilities community life at the major tourist attractions in Transylvania), “Each Invitation Makes a Donation” (to support a development programme and school access to children in a neighbouring village of Cluj), restoration of sports facilities in the Central Park Cluj, as well as building sterile rooms for Cluj-Napoca Children’s Emergency Clinical Hospital. However, despite the benefits and the positive attitude and initiatives taken by organisers regarding environmental and social sustainability issues, as highlighted in this 501 paper, the residents of Cluj-Napoca experienced the negative effects of hosting a festival of this magnitude. They had to cope with high noise levels whilst being banned from accessing a public space that is also the main promenade and recreation area for both elderly and families with children during the hot season. Overcrowding, congestion and traffic jams, litter and waste, deterioration and damage of infrastructure, as well as overpricing and increased cost of living were significant negative effects of the festival on residents’ quality of life and well-being. Whilst the main parties benefiting from such an event are organisers, local businesses (such as accommodation providers, restaurants, bars, and transport companies) and local authorities (attracting financial benefits and an increased capital image), residents, however, feel the negative impact. For this reason, both organisers and local authorities should strive to minimise the unpleasant effects so that the normal life of the community is not significantly affected during the event. Recommendations for reducing the major negative impacts perceived by the residents of Cluj-Napoca are addressed as follows, in line with recent research conducted by Séraphin et al. (2019b) who advise that, community-based festivals, as immaterial forms of heritage, can be held anywhere – indeed, they can be held in less visited areas by tourists (for instance outside the city centre in the case of UNTOLD festival), resulting in decongestion of the actual destination (Cluj-Napoca city), and thus mitigating the possibility of negative impacts on the build heritage within the city. As one of the main causes of discomfort for residents are the noise levels during the festival, event organisers should place a greater importance on noise control by identifying practical solutions to reduce noise levels during the festival and to consider alternative solutions for reducing the outdoor concert timelines in the Central Park (e.g. outdoor concerts ending no later than 1 a.m.). The organisers should consider changing the location from the Central Park of the city (which is a public place that cannot be accessed by the population during the festival) to one on the outskirts of the city. Furthermore, due to the inappropriate location, locals are also negatively affected by overcrowding, increased traffic and lack of parking space. Managing these issues requires a sustainable partnership between organisers and local authorities so that participants are encouraged to use public transportation services and reduce traffic congestion in the city. One-way routes for public transport may be considered for the duration of the event(s), as well as the involvement of traffic police force during the event to optimise traffic flow on roads. Another measure could be to ensure park and ride facilities on the outskirts of the city as well as travel cards for public transport during the period of the festival. Last, but not least, festival organisers should take a more responsible role in waste management, both in terms of volume reduction and selective collection of waste. Collaborating with food and beverage sellers, as well as stimulating and imposing responsible littering behaviour amongst participants, are good options in this direction. Underage drinking represents a significant social issue that manifests during the festival and, therefore, it is important that organisers and authorities work together to manage this problem. Likewise, local businesses should endeavour to be more socially aware and WHATT responsible – local businesses should balance profit-making activities with activities that 11,5 benefit local community, developing businesses with a positive relationship to the local community in which they operate.
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About the authors Ovidiu Ioan Moisescu is Associate Professor in Branding, Public Relations, Marketing Places and Tourism Economics at Babes, -Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca, Romania. He completed his PhD in Marketing at the West University of Timis, oara (Romania), as well as a postdoctoral research posts at the Babes, -Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca (Romania) and the Corvinus University of Budapest (Hungary). His research focuses on brand equity, CSR, tourism marketing and place branding. Oana Adriana Gic a is an Associate Professor in the Department of Hospitality Services, Faculty of Business at Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca, Romania. She holds a doctoral degree in Management. Her main research topics are entrepreneurship and SME management, strategic planning, sustainable tourism and rural tourism. Monica Maria Coros, has a PhD from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. She is currently a Professor of Economics at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. She is a researcher at the Institute of Tourism and Sustainable Economic Development (TiDES). She specializes in destination image, safe and security and environment issues in tourism and in analyzing tourist preferences. Anca C. Yallop is a Lecturer in Strategy at Auckland University of Technology (AUT), New Zealand. She holds a PhD in Marketing (Romania) and has completed her second PhD in Marketing Research Ethics (AUT, New Zealand). Prior to her appointment at AUT, Anca was at the Winchester Business School, University of Winchester, UK. Anca specializes in insight management, business strategy and business research methods. She has 15 years’ experience in higher education and several years’ experience working in marketing and research roles in organisations across a diverse range of sectors internationally. Anca C. Yallop is the corresponding author and can be contacted at: anca. [email protected]
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