Title: Impact of cultural events on city image, the: Rotterdam, Cultural Capital of Europe 2001. In Urban Studies 41(10): 1931-1951

Author(s): Greg Richards, Julie Wilson

Organisation(s):

Categories: Cultural tourism, Major cultural events

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of the hosting of the European Capital of Culture title by Rotterdam in 2001.

Key Findings: The city's image as a cultural destination improved in 2001 but continued to be dominated by the city's physical attributes; Rotterdam did improve its ranking as a European cultural destination in 2001 thereby suggesting that the European Cultural Capital event had a positive impact on its image in the short term at least; visitor perceptions of Rotterdam varied according to place of origin, age, status and gender and this has implications for marketing.

Methods: Survey (questionnaires for resident and non-resident visitors, +2000 responses); in-depth interviews with policy-makers and cultural managers (10 - 2002/03); comparative research using studies of city image elsewhere in Europe before and during 2001