Resident Perceptions of Mega-Event Impacts: The Taejon International Exposition Case

International expositions have a history and scale of international involvement that rivals the modern Olympic movement. They have been a feature of the international events calendar since before the birth of the modern Olympics and, although the number of participating countries may not be as high, the level of this involvement is nevertheless substantial and the commitment of the host country in terms of funds and resources is significant. Host country (or provincial/state) governments have tended to justify the investment involved in the staging of expositions in terms of the commercial benefits arising from the enhancement of their region's international profile, infrastructure development benefits, and, more recently, tourism promotional effects. Whatever amount of objective analysis is carried out to substantiate these claims and regardless of the outcome of this analysis, an important barometer of an event's impact on the host community is the perceptions of individuals within that community. This study examines resident perceptions of the 1993 Taejon International Exposition's impacts with a view to ascertaining the extent to which the benefits and costs associated with the event impinge upon the immediate community. The results indicate that, although the local community bears at least a short-term economic cost and considerable inconvenience is experienced during the period of the event, longer term tourism and urban development benefits are recognized.