Repeat Visitation and Visitor Spending at Events: Hogs and Muscle Cars

Abstract

Special events and festivals can have a significant impact on local economies. A common assumption is that repeat visitors are more desirable than first-time visitors. However, research has shown that this assumption is not necessarily reality. There is a need for more research investigating these two visitor segments in relation to specific types of tourism such as events. The purpose of this study is to discuss the direct spending of visitors at two events in a rural setting and to investigate if repeat visitation had an influence on the visitors' spending during the events. The results of this study indicate that for these two events first-time visitors spent more in all categories, except two, and in total spending. Contributing to this fact, first-time visitors stayed longer in the area and stayed in more expensive lodging optionsthan repeat visitors.