Cultural Festivals and Musical Practices in Izmir in The Context of Experience Tourism
Chapter from the book:
Solunoğlu,
A.
(ed.)
2026.
TOURGASTREC II.
Synopsis
This study examines, from a disciplinary perspective, how cultural festivals in Izmir transform visitor experiences within the context of experiential tourism, serving both as an attraction and a cultural catalyst, and how they traditionally carry this forward. The impact of experiential tourism through spatial interaction, musical experiences, and events will be discussed.
The study will examine the relationship between festivals' musical practices, experience production, destination marketing, and cultural interaction in Izmir's tourism visibility. The study focuses on questions such as how festivals position music, which local and musical representations they highlight, and how they structure the visitor experience. The festivals discussed in the study (Alaçatı Herb Festival, Urla Artichoke Festival, Bergama Fair) demonstrate the impact of musical practices on experiential tourism.
Festivals contribute to destinations becoming spaces that are experienced and imbued with meaning by visitors, going beyond being merely physical areas visited. Within the multisensory visitor experience, music stands out as an element that strengthens the emotional interaction tourists establish with the destination and creates perceptual depth. In this respect, cultural festivals play a functional role in experience-oriented destination marketing and the sustainability of tourism.
In conclusion, music in local organizations makes cultural diversity visible. Thus, music becomes a practice that strengthens community participation, cultural continuity, and the sense of belonging. Therefore, it reveals that music is a fundamental component that determines the meaning, depth, and memorability of the experience. In this context, cultural festivals offer important intersections that bring together experiential tourism and representation debates through musical practices.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Ramazan Göral; Ali Solunoğlu; Ebru Arıcı- Orhan Batman- Gizem Kandemir Altunel- Şehnaz Demirkol- Kübra Kıymet Arslan- Feyza Altun- Mustafa Emre Şirin- Suat Arpacı- Y. Kemal Özekici- Furkan Dursun- Dilek Karakaş- Canan Semint- Serkan Semint- Nuriye Demir- Betül Şahin- Hasan Cinnioğlu- Aysun Gargacı Kınay- Mehtap Baykal Erdoğan- Evrim Karaca- Ezgi Erşahin- Şehnaz Demirkol- Ayhan Başçı- Semra Akar Şahingöz- Selva Atınç- Hale Özgit- Şerif Ahmet Demirdağ- Cihan Yılmaz- Meliha Sena Yıldırgan- Pelin Candar- Özel Kılıç- Duygu Kırmızıkuşak- Mehmet Koçak- Mustafa Demirel- Halit Sökmen- Ahmet Can Göksun- Duran Kuru- Ece Rua Gülal- Sağbetullah Meriç- Yusuf Ormankıran