Event impact assessment and community-based tourism: The case of a Portuguese Music Festival MEOSudoeste

Background: As integral components of the event industry, music festivals significantly impact local communities and encompass social, cultural, economic, political, physical, and environmental dimensions. We may perceive this impact as either positive or negative. As event tourism continues to grow in importance, there is an increasing need for evaluation methodologies that promote sustainable development through more participatory approaches. Research objectives: This article examines how impact assessment methodologies, grounded in action research, can enhance community engagement and support the principles of Community-Based Tourism (CBT). Research design and methods: Drawing on evidence from research conducted on the MEO Sudoeste music festival in Odemira, Alentejo/Portugal, the study explored the potential of this notable event to foster community involvement, despite its limited adoption of the CBT paradigm. Results: The findings emphasize the importance of collaborative evaluation processes in balancing benefits and costs and supporting informed decision-making for large-scale tourism events. Conclusions: Collaborative evaluation contributes to improving the long-term sustainability of large-scale tourism events.