Hosting Events as a Tool for Restoring Destination Image

Restoration of destination image has become a necessity in the global world when negative perception can be a barrier in attracting tourism. One strategy applied by destination marketers to improve the image of places experiencing an immediate or prolonged crisis is hosting spotlight events. The goal of this article is to expand our knowledge of this strategy and to ask what kind of events, place marketers host to reverse a negative destination image and what the advantages or by-products of hosting such events are. The analysis concerns seven kinds of events’ hosting: (1) mega sports events; (2) sports events; (3) cultural events; (4) events that brand a destination contrary to the stereotype; (5) events with opinion leaders and celebrities; (6) conferences and conventions; (7) events that convert negative characteristics into positive

Keywords: AHosting events; Tourism marketing; Image restoration; Destination image; Crisis communication.