Etude de l'influence du Village de noël sur l'image de la Ville de Liège

Abstract

For more than twenty years now, cities have been developing and aiming to attract new residents, tourists but also investors. Competition between cities exists, and many are therefore trying to stand out from the rest by using various tools. Among these ones, we find city branding, a marketing tool allowing the promotion of cities. Over the past thirty years, events have also multiplied and have found their importance in everyday life. The goal of this thesis is to identify if conducting events, and particularly a cultural event, here a Christmas Village, can have an impact on a perceived destination brand image. First, in order to answer to this question, a theorical analysis is conducted to define the main theoretical aspects. Then, questionnaires for visitors are created and distributed. Questionnaires are also made for the exhibitors of the Christmas Village, and in-depth interviews are conducted. The results show that many aspects have to be taken into account when city branders and marketers want to improve a city image. In response to the initial question, we can say that events have an influence on cities’ perceived image.