The Role of Festivalscape in Shaping Attendee Satisfaction and Future Behaviour: A Case Study of Meghalaya Cultural Festival

The aim of this study is to examine the effect of festivalscape dimensions on the satisfaction level and behavioural intention of the festival attenders in the context of cultural festivals in the state of Meghalaya, India. The knowledge of how festival attributes affect visitor experience and influence future behaviour is crucial for improving festival sustainability and the competitiveness of the destination. The study is based on the Stimulus–Organism–Response (SOR) framework and focuses on three aspects of festivalscape: cultural and entertainment experience, facilities and amenities and logistics and information. Data were collected from 394 festival attendees using a structured questionnaire developed from existing literature and refined through a pilot study. Measures were taken on 16 festivalscapes and multiple regression analysis was used to investigate the relationships proposed.

The results revealed that cultural and entertainment experience was the strongest predictor of both attendee satisfaction ( β = 0.686, p < .001) and behavioural intention ( β = 0.820, p < .001). The regression models explained 54.0% of the variance in satisfaction ( R ² = 0.540) and 64.1% of the variance in behavioural intention ( R ² = 0.641). While facilities and amenities positively influenced satisfaction, logistics and information did not significantly affect satisfaction and facilities and amenities did not significantly influence behavioural intention.

The study adds to the expanding body of literature on festivalscape and experiential tourism by extending the application of the SOR framework to an under-researched indigenous cultural tourism setting. The findings also have implications for festival planners and tourism providers in creating more culturally inclusive festival experiences that will improve their festival experience, revisit intentions and word of mouth recommendations.