I Feel at Home: Visitors’ Perspective of Arts Festivals in Croatia

Festivals are among the fastest growing types of tourist attractions. However, unlike large and international events, small festivals are scarcely researched despite their importance for local communities. The aim of this study is to explore the perspective of visitors to small arts festivals in rural areas in Croatia. This includes satisfaction with the services and experience of the event, interaction with locals, personal benefits and suggestions for further improvement of the festival offer. The research is based on 40 semi-structured interviews with visitors of 5 arts festivals in Croatia. The research results show that when it comes to experience satisfaction, visitors particularly value the opportunities for socializing and the creation of social intimacy, which is mainly due to the small size of the festival site. In addition, a pleasant atmosphere, a feeling of relaxation and freedom, a sense of belonging to the festival location, entertainment and the educational potential of the festival are decisive factors. In terms of service satisfaction, visitors are particularly satisfied with the program content. Most visitors had no significant interactions with the local community, but they consider it an important factor in the organization of the festival. In terms of possible improvements to the festival offer, increasing media exposure, improving the gastronomic offer and the need for more involvement and personal engagement during the festival are frequently mentioned.