In recent days the Ferrara Buskers Festival took part in the Namwon World Festival Forum in Korea, it is an event dedicated to exploring festivals as a strategic engine for the growth of cultural tourism.
After the twinning agreement signed last September with the Geumjeong Foundation For Arts & Culture of Busan in South Korea, the Ferrara Buskers Festival once again stopped in Korea as a guest of the foundation to tell the story and growth of a festival, the one in Ferrara , which has been attracting people from all over the world for 37 years, bringing value and cultural tourism to its city. The occasion was precisely the prestigious Namwon World Festival Forum where Rebecca Bottoni, president and artistic director of the Ferrara Buskers Festival, brought the experience of the festival, placing emphasis on how cultural initiatives, in particular live shows, are a strong attraction for tourism. “True immersive experiences that give access not only to the event, but also to the overall knowledge of a place, its art and its monuments, its history, also becoming an authentic engine of economic growth for the city and the region surrounding”, Bottoni’s words in front of the attentive audience of the Korean forum. Going into the specifics of the related activities created by the Buskers, an event which has now become a habit for our city in the last remnants of the August summer, Bottoni underlined how the initiative affects various sectors starting from the commercial activities of the city – from restaurants to bars and shops – which benefit from the influx of visitors. Furthermore, for accommodation facilities, the week of the festival represents the high season and marks the peak price per room, registering full houses (particularly on Saturdays) in 97% of the facilities.
“For a city in the Emilian hinterland, data like this represent a great result – analyzes the number one of the Buskers Festival –. They allow us to understand the attractive capacity of events like ours and to encourage the growth of cultural tourism, also considered the most sustainable because it is able to promote tolerance, respect and knowledge between different cultures”. The meeting was also an opportunity to talk in more detail about the next edition, scheduled from 21st to 25th August, and the innovations introduced which will strengthen and enhance the quality that has always distinguished the festival, making it a unique event in the international panorama. Among these, for the first time in its history, the introduction of an entrance ticket and the moving of most of the street artists’ performances to Corso Ercole d’Este.
