How Interested Young People are in Film Festivals?

Festivals are generally considered one of the key activities that stimulate the economy. The first film festivals originated in Europe about 90 years ago and quickly became a global phenomenon. The most important reasons why tourists participate in festivals could be integrated into the "push dimensions" (family reunion, socializing, escape, novelty of events, self-esteem) and the "pull dimensions" (fun, food and drink, information and marketing, transport). In general, festivals are considered a thriving tourist activity, the destinations offering unique events, combined with high quality services and opportunities for socialization. This study is based on research aimed at identifying young people's interest in film festivals and the influence of socio-demographic aspects on this interest. The sample consisted of 438 young respondents aged between 18 and 26 years. The research has shown that young tourists tend to behave similarly, which makes them a very attractive segment of tourists, even if their budgets are not very high. The results also showed that young people have as main tourism motivation to spend time with family or friends. Moreover, the preferences of young people for basic tourist services are quite clear and unsophisticated. However, the results suggest some need to adapt the commercial communication according to the gender of young tourists.