Economic Impacts of Small Events: Estimates and Determinants — A New Zealand Example

Abstract

This study reports the findings derived from surveys of visitors to seven different events held in Palmerston North, New Zealand. It shows the importance of a number of determinants of economic impacts, and discusses some of the problems involved in such calculations. The main lesson to be derived from this study is not only that the number of out-of-region visitors and levels of spending are important as determinants of economic impact, but planning must take into account factors like the size of party group and occupancy patterns of the serviced accommodation sector.