Impacts of small tourism events on rural places

Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact that an event such as the Cherry Festival, organized by the municipality of Fundão (Portugal), can have in a rural area. Design/methodology/approach – To obtain a complete picture of the impact of the Cherry Festival on Fundão, the perspectives of the organizers, suppliers, and the local residents are combined. The impact is evaluated through qualitative economic and social impacts and quantitative economic impact. The information is obtained through primary and secondary data with personal interviews and questionnaires. Findings – The results suggest that for these kind of small events, there are economic and social impacts, but the social impacts extend beyond the economic benefits. Research limitations/implications – The main limitation of this paper is the impossibility of using input‐output tables and multipliers of expenditures in a small area such as the one studied. Practical implications – The paper shows that even in small events important impacts may occur that justify the investments made on them. Originality/value – The paper presents a combination of methodologies to measure the impact an event can have in small areas that do not have suitable input‐output tables and multipliers of expenditures.