Festival do Bacalhau

The success of a redevelopment strategy supported in innovation

Resumo

As a result of globalization, destinations were forced to compete among themselves. Of all the products created for this purpose, events stand out, with very positive impacts on the economic, social, political, tourism, urban and environmental levels, with particular relevance in the tourism sector, in which they began to hold a central role. Among these events we can highlight festivals, which are increasingly used to promote tourism and boost the local economy, while also contributing to the marketing of the location, to liven up attractions and locations, and act as catalysts for other forms of development. In such a competitive and cluttered events market, knowing and understanding the various stages of its life cycle can be of great importance in developing effective strategies to make events sustainable and profitable, but also to foresee and anticipate challenges, namely helping to better understand which alternative paths can be followed at a given time. This report, supported by a case study, presents and describes the redevelopment process of “Festival do Bacalhau” (Codfish Festival) in Ílhavo, Portugal, an important asset of the tourism development and promotion strategy of this territory. This renovation, supported in innovation, allowed to amplify the positive impacts of the festival, both in terms of benefits for the partners and the local economy, and in strengthening the visibility and notoriety of the Municipality of Ílhavo in the tourism market, as well as preventing its decline.