Description
Purpose of the research
Despite its significant economic contribution, the family tourism market is yet to be thoroughly examined in academic literature, perhaps due to its complex dynamics (Yang, 2020). It is not just another form of leisure; family travel necessitates substantial resources and is purposefully undertaken to strengthen family bonds, provide novel experiences, and enhance familial relationships and well-being (Lehto et al., 2017). The festival industry specifically often overlooks these motivations and needs, focusing rather on novelty and a wider variety of attractions for adult-only market segments (Kruger, 2019).
Children within the family travel context increasingly influence family purchases, including travel decisions, and the festival sector should strive to better cater to families, particularly those with young children (Boyle et al., 2018). According to Schänzel and Smith (2014) and Therkelsen and Lottrup (2015), family-friendly markets typically look for social engagement and entertainment when travelling with recreational experiences and sensory activities being the most memorable.
As children age, their needs and the needs of their parents change, adding to the complexity of this market segment (Li et al., 2020). While babies may have limited cognitive abilities and language skills, their presence directly impacts the parents’ needs for specific baby-friendly facilities such as changing stations (Liu & Draper, 2022). For toddlers, parents require safety at festivals to take priority (Da Silva & Wise, 2006). Children aged seven to 12 years old (tweens) develop primary logical operations and verbal reasoning skills (Piaget, 1970) and tend to prefer more adventurous activities driven by technology such as virtual reality experiences (Kim & Lee, 2022).
In South Africa, more than 60% of domestic tourists travel with their families (SAT, 2023). The South African National Tourism Sector Strategy 2016-2026 (NTSS, 2017) has also emphasised that effective domestic tourism marketing campaigns should place more focus on choosing priority segments and targeted activities to unlock the travel and spending potential of especially the family-friendly travel market segment. Therefore, it is evident that families are a valuable untapped market segment, requiring further investigation to understand their travel preferences and needs. In light of this, this research aims to identify family-friendly services, facilities and activities necessary at selected South African Arts festivals.
Research methodology
This study forms part of an ongoing project and will follow a quantitative research design with a purposive sampling technique. Using self-administered questionnaires, parents attending the Aardklop National Arts Festival, Innibos, and Klein Karoo National Arts Festival (the three largest arts festivals in South Africa based on visitor numbers), with their children between the ages of six months and 12 years old, will be approached to take part in this study. A new questionnaire, using work done by Kruger (2020), Kazembe et al. (2015) and Asvanyi et al. (2021) will be developed, consisting of two sections. Section A aims to determine the demographic and behavioural profile of the respondents. Section B will consist of 22 statements related to family-friendly services, facilities and activities necessary at a South African arts festival. Respondents will indicate, using a five-point Likert scale, the importance of each statement (1=not important – 5=absolutely important). The questionnaire will be distributed using three trained field workers.
Expected contribution of the findings
In light of the prevailing gaps in the literature, the projected contributions of this research are substantial. Firstly, it has the potential to significantly enrich the academic discourse in family travel and leisure, offering novel insights from a developing country perspective. Furthermore, by addressing this research gap, the study can provide practical implications for enhancing family-friendly product offerings in the festival sector, thereby enhancing their appeal and relevance to contemporary family units.
