The ABSA Klein Karoo National Arts Festival (KKNK) is one of the biggest and most popular Afrikaans arts festivals in South Africa, and since its modest beginnings in 1994, the festival has grown significantly with an estimated 85518 visitors attending the festival in 2010. The festival furthermore has a considerable economic impact on the host community of Oudtshoorn and the surrounding regions. The direct spending by festival visitors during the 2010 festival was estimated at R109.7 million, that consists of tickets bought at the festival, memorabilia, food, restaurants and beverages, transport, accommodation and entertainment. Benefits associated with these spending patterns include an increase in job opportunities for the residents, more entertainment opportunities, improvement of residents’ lifestyles and opportunities for expanding businesses to name but a few. However, the number of tickets bought for shows and productions at the KKNK has decreased drastically over the last six years, visitor numbers have decreased and this will result in a decrease in the total revenue and economic impact this festival has on the local community of Oudtshoorn. Therefore, the festival needs to be managed in a sustainable way through improving the entertainment offered at the festival. The festival guide and promotion material should be designed in such a way that they meet the needs of visitors and offers the necessary information services to create a unique festival experience for visitors. The specific services visitors need must be provided, such as shuttle services and security. The purpose of this research is to identify the key success factors (KSFs) in managing the visitors’ experience at the KKNK. To achieve this, a quantitative survey was done by distributing 500 questionnaires amongst the visitors to the festival in 2010 from the 1st to the 8th of April. A total of 443 completed questionnaires were received back. In Chapter 2, an analysis on the background and different theories of event tourism, special events, arts festivals, management and KSFs were investigated. Previous studies on the KSFs were also identified which rendered valuable and proved that different tourism operations including events and arts festivals have different KSFs. Furthermore, this analysis revealed that there exist different markets with their own individual needs and reasons for attending the arts festivals and therefore have their own expectations of what needs to be included in a unique festival experience. Chapter 3 consists of Article 1, and the main purpose of this article was to identify the various key success factors visitors to the KKNK see as important in satisfying their needs and providing a unique festival experience. A factor analysis was performed and identified the following KSFs: Safety and Personnel, Marketing and Accessibility, Venues, Accommodation and Ablutions, General aspects and Social impact, Parking and Restaurants and Shows and Stalls. The results indicated that professional staff, adequate safety and emergency services, clear indications, easy accessible venues, quality accommodation, affordable children activities, quality food providers and a variety of shows are important KSFs to provide visitors with an unforgettable festival experience. Chapter 4’s (Article 2) main purpose was to divide or segment visitors to the KKNK based on their travel motivation to attend the festival and their rating of the importance of the KSFs into separate markets. This purpose was achieved by performing a factor analysis on the travel motivations to identify the main travel motives for visitors to attend the KKNK, this was followed by a cluster analysis based on the travel motives where three clusters were identified namely Escapists, Festival Junkies and Culture seekers. The clusters festival organisers should focus their management skills and resources on are the Festival Junkies and Culture Seekers. After performing ANOVA and Chi–square tests the results showed statistically significant differences between the three clusters based on age, years attended the festival, length of stay, total spending, all the KSFs, gender and rock shows as visitors preferred type of show or production. The results therefore reveal that there are three different markets based on their travel motives who attend the KKNK, furthermore each of these three clusters has their own preferences, characteristics and ratings on which KSF will contribute in enhancing their festival experience. This was the first study of its kind in South Africa. Therefore, it contributes to the event management literature. Festival organisers can also use the results of this research to improve the KKNK’s sustainability and success by applying the KSFs and increase tickets sales for shows and productions, attract a younger market and attract visitors who spend more at the festival, by providing for the needs of specific markets and creating a unique festival experience for each visitor. / Thesis (M.Com. (Tourism))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the social determinants of arts festivals with reference to the ABSA KKNK. This goal was achieved by firstly analysing the event/festival phenomenon and the role thereof in event/festival tourism. Secondly, a literature study was conducted in order to examine the role of the community in supporting events/festivals. And thirdly, the results of the empirical research were discussed. Lastly, conclusions were drawn from the research and recommendations were made with regard to the social determinants of events/festivals. Literature indicated that events/festivals are central to daily living as perhaps never before and it can also be said that events/festivals play certain social, economic, cultural and environmental roles. Events/festivals can have various positive impacts on a community, such as job opportunities, economical growth and upliftment of the community. However it can also create various negative impacts such as crime, prostitution and damage to the environment. It is important to increase the number of positive impacts and decrease the number of negative impacts. This may improve the support of the community for the event/festival and improve the sustainability of the event/festival. The support of the community is also influenced by aspects such as community concern, ecocentric attitudes, community attachment. These social support determinants were measured by means of a questionnaire, as adapted from Gursoy and Kendall (2006) and it was therefore the objective of the questionnaire to analyse the social determinants that that may improve community support. The survey was distributed in the community of Oudtshoorn in 2007 and the determinants, as well as the relationship between the determinants and support for the event/festival, were based on structural equation modeling. A total of 279 questionnaires were completed during the festival. Respondents were, in general, more positive about the festival than negative. The results of the structural equation modelling suggest that community attachment and benefits and costs perceived are the most important social determinants in gaining local support for the ABSA KKNK. In the case of this study, ecocentric attitudes and issues of community concern did not influence the level of support given to the event/festival. / Thesis (M.A. (Tourism))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

The ABSA Klein Karoo National Arts Festival (KKNK) is one of the biggest and most popular Afrikaans arts festivals in South Africa, and since its modest beginnings in 1994, the festival has grown significantly with an estimated 85518 visitors attending the festival in 2010. The festival furthermore has a considerable economic impact on the host community of Oudtshoorn and the surrounding regions. The direct spending by festival visitors during the 2010 festival was estimated at R109.7 million, that consists of tickets bought at the festival, memorabilia, food, restaurants and beverages, transport, accommodation and entertainment. Benefits associated with these spending patterns include an increase in job opportunities for the residents, more entertainment opportunities, improvement of residents’ lifestyles and opportunities for expanding businesses to name but a few. However, the number of tickets bought for shows and productions at the KKNK has decreased drastically over the last six years, visitor numbers have decreased and this will result in a decrease in the total revenue and economic impact this festival has on the local community of Oudtshoorn. Therefore, the festival needs to be managed in a sustainable way through improving the entertainment offered at the festival. The festival guide and promotion material should be designed in such a way that they meet the needs of visitors and offers the necessary information services to create a unique festival experience for visitors. The specific services visitors need must be provided, such as shuttle services and security. The purpose of this research is to identify the key success factors (KSFs) in managing the visitors’ experience at the KKNK. To achieve this, a quantitative survey was done by distributing 500 questionnaires amongst the visitors to the festival in 2010 from the 1st to the 8th of April. A total of 443 completed questionnaires were received back. In Chapter 2, an analysis on the background and different theories of event tourism, special events, arts festivals, management and KSFs were investigated. Previous studies on the KSFs were also identified which rendered valuable and proved that different tourism operations including events and arts festivals have different KSFs. Furthermore, this analysis revealed that there exist different markets with their own individual needs and reasons for attending the arts festivals and therefore have their own expectations of what needs to be included in a unique festival experience. Chapter 3 consists of Article 1, and the main purpose of this article was to identify the various key success factors visitors to the KKNK see as important in satisfying their needs and providing a unique festival experience. A factor analysis was performed and identified the following KSFs: Safety and Personnel, Marketing and Accessibility, Venues, Accommodation and Ablutions, General aspects and Social impact, Parking and Restaurants and Shows and Stalls. The results indicated that professional staff, adequate safety and emergency services, clear indications, easy accessible venues, quality accommodation, affordable children activities, quality food providers and a variety of shows are important KSFs to provide visitors with an unforgettable festival experience. Chapter 4’s (Article 2) main purpose was to divide or segment visitors to the KKNK based on their travel motivation to attend the festival and their rating of the importance of the KSFs into separate markets. This purpose was achieved by performing a factor analysis on the travel motivations to identify the main travel motives for visitors to attend the KKNK, this was followed by a cluster analysis based on the travel motives where three clusters were identified namely Escapists, Festival Junkies and Culture seekers. The clusters festival organisers should focus their management skills and resources on are the Festival Junkies and Culture Seekers. After performing ANOVA and Chi–square tests the results showed statistically significant differences between the three clusters based on age, years attended the festival, length of stay, total spending, all the KSFs, gender and rock shows as visitors preferred type of show or production. The results therefore reveal that there are three different markets based on their travel motives who attend the KKNK, furthermore each of these three clusters has their own preferences, characteristics and ratings on which KSF will contribute in enhancing their festival experience. This was the first study of its kind in South Africa. Therefore, it contributes to the event management literature. Festival organisers can also use the results of this research to improve the KKNK’s sustainability and success by applying the KSFs and increase tickets sales for shows and productions, attract a younger market and attract visitors who spend more at the festival, by providing for the needs of specific markets and creating a unique festival experience for each visitor. / Thesis (M.Com. (Tourism))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

The aim of this study was to determine the quality of slaughtered ostrich meat and to evaluate the ostrich slaughter process, to determine whether ostrich meat are contaminated by the in-house slaughtering practices and if prevalence of microorganisms increase with the succession of the slaughter process. Furthermore, the presence of specific foodborne pathogens and spoilage organisms was explored by means of molecular and conventional methods to determine whether ostrich meat is a source of these microorganisms. Data obtained from this study provides some baseline information that could be used in future studies on system contamination and the extent of downstream processing steps in the production of ostrich meat. Antimicrobial resistance has become a growing area of concern in both human and veterinary medicine, it is therefore necessary that another aim of this study was to determine the antibiotic resistant pattern of Staphylococcus aureus in ostrich meat in order to establish whether Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from ostrich meat samples show resistance to antibiotics

The aim of this study was to determine the quality of slaughtered ostrich meat and to evaluate the ostrich slaughter process, to determine whether ostrich meat are contaminated by the in-house slaughtering practices and if prevalence of microorganisms increase with the succession of the slaughter process. Furthermore, the presence of specific foodborne pathogens and spoilage organisms was explored by means of molecular and conventional methods to determine whether ostrich meat is a source of these microorganisms. Data obtained from this study provides some baseline information that could be used in future studies on system contamination and the extent of downstream processing steps in the production of ostrich meat. Antimicrobial resistance has become a growing area of concern in both human and veterinary medicine, it is therefore necessary that another aim of this study was to determine the antibiotic resistant pattern of Staphylococcus aureus in ostrich meat in order to establish whether Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from ostrich meat samples show resistance to antibiotics

Magister Scientiae - MSc / The aim of this study was to determine the quality of slaughtered ostrich meat and to evaluate the ostrich slaughter process, to determine whether ostrich meat are contaminated by the in-house slaughtering practices and if prevalence of microorganisms increase with the succession of the slaughter process. Furthermore, the presence of specific foodborne pathogens and spoilage organisms was explored by means of molecular and conventional methods to determine whether ostrich meat is a source of these microorganisms. Data obtained from this study provides some baseline information that could be used in future studies on system contamination and the extent of downstream processing steps in the production of ostrich meat. Antimicrobial resistance has become a growing area of concern in both human and veterinary medicine, it is therefore necessary that another aim of this study was to determine the antibiotic resistant pattern of Staphylococcus aureus in ostrich meat in order to establish whether Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from ostrich meat samples show resistance to antibiotics. / South Africa

>Magister Scientiae - MSc / Globally climate variability and anthropogenic effects are causing more perennial rivers to become non-perennial rivers. Non-perennial rivers are distinguished by their isolated pools which serve as refugia for aquatic organisms, water birds, and riparian vegetation. The literature on non-perennial rivers demonstrates that pools are poorly understood in terms of their location, nature, and geomorphic persistence. Therefore, this study examines the relationships between the spatial distribution, morphology, and substrate characteristics of pools in reaches of the Prins and Touws rivers in the Klein Karoo. A greater understanding of pools will facilitate better management, monitoring, and restoration strategies for pool ecology since the geomorphology of pools provides a key part of the ecological template. Worldview-2 satellite imagery (2017) and orthorectified aerial photography (2014, 2013, and 1944) were used to assess the effects of major flooding events on pools over time. A DGPS (Differential Global Positioning System) was used to survey the pool widths, lengths, depths, and valley widths, cross-sections, and longitudinal profiles of the river. Sediment samples and Wolman pebble counts were used to assess the grain size and organic matter content of each pool in the study area. Detailed descriptions of the characteristics of each pool in terms of position in the channel, valley form, and obstruction presence and type were also assessed. Results indicate that most of the large pools occur at bedrock outcrops of the valley margins, and smaller pools are associated with Vachellia karroo debris bar features. Larger and highly persistent pools are associated with valley confinement and smaller less persistent, scour pools occur mid-channel where the valley expands. Analysis of the results shows that the valley width is the dominant control on these forced pools. The type of obstruction also plays a role in the formation of the pool as large woody debris results in smaller pools whereas, bedrock outcrops result in larger sized pools. A significant relationship was found between the grain size and organic matter content of pools. Aerial photography of the spatial distribution of the pools revealed that before a major flood, the pools were small and patchy, whereas afterward, they were larger and more elongated. It is suggested that at the bedrock outcrops, major scouring and eddy processes drive the formation of larger pools during large flood events, whereas pool dissection by sediment deposits prevails during intervening intermediate to low flow periods. The results are discussed in terms of the geomorphic controls (valley width, pool dimensions, morphology, substrate, and obstruction characteristics) on the formation and maintenance of pools in dryland settings. A conceptual model is proposed to explain the geomorphic changes of the pools in the four geomorphological zones of non-perennial rivers.

The income generated from Afrikaans films has fluctuated over the years. Currently this is still the case and the profits generated from Afrikaans films over the past seven years are cause for concern. The Afrikaans film industry is struggling to keep film attendees interested in their films. The need to better understand the Afrikaans film attendees‟ purchase behaviour has become more important than ever. By obtaining this information the producers, investors and marketers of Afrikaans films can produce and market Afrikaans films according to the market‟s needs and ultimately increase Afrikaans film theatre ticket sales. The primary goal of the study was to determine the ticket purchase behaviour of Afrikaans film theatre attendees to help the industry to increase ticket sales. To achieve this goal the following objectives were set: firstly, to do a literature overview on the Afrikaans film industry. Secondly, to conduct a literature analysis to identify possible aspects that can contribute to the ticket purchases of the performing arts (with the main focus on film theatre). Thirdly, to do a comparative analysis on the ticket purchase behaviour of film theatre attendees versus live theatre attendees. Fourthly, to analyse Afrikaans students and scholars‟ purchase behaviour of Afrikaans film theatre tickets. Lastly, to draw conclusions from the study and to make subsequent recommendations that aim to provide solutions for the Afrikaans film industry by increasing their film theatre ticket sales. Objectives 1 and 2 were achieved in the literature study (Chapter 2). Firstly the origin and evolution of the film industry was explained; and an overview of the history of the South African film industry was provided. Purchase behaviour was studied to understand the concept in general, as well as in the context of arts and cultural goods. Different purchase behaviour models were analysed and aspects contributing to the ticket purchases of arts / culture / film theatre / live theatre productions were identified and analysed. Objective 3 was achieved in Article 1 (Chapter 3). A comparative analysis was done on the ticket purchase behaviour of film theatre attendees versus live theatre attendees. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted on the 36 identified aspects that contribute to Afrikaans film theatre ticket purchases. The data for the article was collected in 2011 and 2013 at the Klein Karoo National Kunstefees (KKNK) with questionnaires. Attendees who viewed one or more Afrikaans films in the past year were requested to complete a questionnaire. This resulted in five factors labelled: Proudly Afrikaans, Production credentials, Quality facilities, Marketing and Leisure experience. The most important factor that influenced the film theatre attendees was identified as „Proudly Afrikaans’ and the second highest factor was „Leisure experience’. Confirmatory factor analyses were then performed on 20 identical and overlapping aspects identified from the film theatre ticket purchase data and live theatre ticket purchase data (secondary data from the study of Botha, 2011). The following factors were identified: Media/ Marketing, Quality facilities, Credentials and Lesure experience. To compare the contributing factors of Afrikaans film theatre ticket purchases to the contributing factors of Afrikaans live theatre ticket purchases, a t-test was performed. The t-test indicated that the film theatre attendees are more influenced by the factors Media, Quality facilities and Leisure experience; and the live theatre attendees on the other hand were more influenced by Credentials. Determining the key factors contributing to the ticket purchases of younger Afrikaans film theatre attendees was achieved in Article 2 (Objective 4). The objective was achieved by conducting a survey amongst Afrikaans-speaking students at the North-West University (Potchefstroom Campus); and Afrikaans-speaking scholars at an inter-school sports event hosted in the North West province. The questionnaire for students was dispersed at various on-campus classes attended by the students and the questionnaire for scholars was dispersed at an inter-school sports event for Afrikaans schools from various provinces. They were targeted at different sports fields where they were participating in various sports items. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted on the collected data to determine the factors contributing to the film theatre ticket purchases of this younger Afrikaans film theatre market. Five factors were identified. These factors were labelled: Quality film, Quality facilities, Proudly Afrikaans, Marketing and Production credentials. ANOVAs and t-tests were performed to explore possible difference between the mean values of the factors based on certain independent variables. Statistical significant differences were found: men and women are influenced to the same degree by all five of these factors; the five factors have a stronger influence the younger the attendees are. Respondents who prefer Afrikaans films above English films are more influenced by all five of these factors; and film attendees who view three or more films in one month are more influenced by the factors Quality facilities, Proudly Afrikaans and Production credentials. The younger Afrikaans film viewers‟ most popular medium for viewing films is television (DSTV / Box Office channels). The fifth objective was achieved by drawing conclusions from the study and making appropriate recommendations. The results of this study confirm that the study assisted in making a significant contribution to the producers and marketers of the Afrikaans film theatre industry. This research helps the industry to better understand their market based on its purchase behaviour. This research enables Afrikaans film producers and marketers to improve the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns amongst Afrikaans arts festival patrons and younger Afrikaans film theatre attendees. Ultimately, implementing the recommendations of this study will lead to the increase of Afrikaans film theatre ticket sales and help sustain this currently struggling Afrikaans film theatre industry. / MCom (Tourism Management), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The income generated from Afrikaans films has fluctuated over the years. Currently this is still the case and the profits generated from Afrikaans films over the past seven years are cause for concern. The Afrikaans film industry is struggling to keep film attendees interested in their films. The need to better understand the Afrikaans film attendees‟ purchase behaviour has become more important than ever. By obtaining this information the producers, investors and marketers of Afrikaans films can produce and market Afrikaans films according to the market‟s needs and ultimately increase Afrikaans film theatre ticket sales. The primary goal of the study was to determine the ticket purchase behaviour of Afrikaans film theatre attendees to help the industry to increase ticket sales. To achieve this goal the following objectives were set: firstly, to do a literature overview on the Afrikaans film industry. Secondly, to conduct a literature analysis to identify possible aspects that can contribute to the ticket purchases of the performing arts (with the main focus on film theatre). Thirdly, to do a comparative analysis on the ticket purchase behaviour of film theatre attendees versus live theatre attendees. Fourthly, to analyse Afrikaans students and scholars‟ purchase behaviour of Afrikaans film theatre tickets. Lastly, to draw conclusions from the study and to make subsequent recommendations that aim to provide solutions for the Afrikaans film industry by increasing their film theatre ticket sales. Objectives 1 and 2 were achieved in the literature study (Chapter 2). Firstly the origin and evolution of the film industry was explained; and an overview of the history of the South African film industry was provided. Purchase behaviour was studied to understand the concept in general, as well as in the context of arts and cultural goods. Different purchase behaviour models were analysed and aspects contributing to the ticket purchases of arts / culture / film theatre / live theatre productions were identified and analysed. Objective 3 was achieved in Article 1 (Chapter 3). A comparative analysis was done on the ticket purchase behaviour of film theatre attendees versus live theatre attendees. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted on the 36 identified aspects that contribute to Afrikaans film theatre ticket purchases. The data for the article was collected in 2011 and 2013 at the Klein Karoo National Kunstefees (KKNK) with questionnaires. Attendees who viewed one or more Afrikaans films in the past year were requested to complete a questionnaire. This resulted in five factors labelled: Proudly Afrikaans, Production credentials, Quality facilities, Marketing and Leisure experience. The most important factor that influenced the film theatre attendees was identified as „Proudly Afrikaans’ and the second highest factor was „Leisure experience’. Confirmatory factor analyses were then performed on 20 identical and overlapping aspects identified from the film theatre ticket purchase data and live theatre ticket purchase data (secondary data from the study of Botha, 2011). The following factors were identified: Media/ Marketing, Quality facilities, Credentials and Lesure experience. To compare the contributing factors of Afrikaans film theatre ticket purchases to the contributing factors of Afrikaans live theatre ticket purchases, a t-test was performed. The t-test indicated that the film theatre attendees are more influenced by the factors Media, Quality facilities and Leisure experience; and the live theatre attendees on the other hand were more influenced by Credentials. Determining the key factors contributing to the ticket purchases of younger Afrikaans film theatre attendees was achieved in Article 2 (Objective 4). The objective was achieved by conducting a survey amongst Afrikaans-speaking students at the North-West University (Potchefstroom Campus); and Afrikaans-speaking scholars at an inter-school sports event hosted in the North West province. The questionnaire for students was dispersed at various on-campus classes attended by the students and the questionnaire for scholars was dispersed at an inter-school sports event for Afrikaans schools from various provinces. They were targeted at different sports fields where they were participating in various sports items. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted on the collected data to determine the factors contributing to the film theatre ticket purchases of this younger Afrikaans film theatre market. Five factors were identified. These factors were labelled: Quality film, Quality facilities, Proudly Afrikaans, Marketing and Production credentials. ANOVAs and t-tests were performed to explore possible difference between the mean values of the factors based on certain independent variables. Statistical significant differences were found: men and women are influenced to the same degree by all five of these factors; the five factors have a stronger influence the younger the attendees are. Respondents who prefer Afrikaans films above English films are more influenced by all five of these factors; and film attendees who view three or more films in one month are more influenced by the factors Quality facilities, Proudly Afrikaans and Production credentials. The younger Afrikaans film viewers‟ most popular medium for viewing films is television (DSTV / Box Office channels). The fifth objective was achieved by drawing conclusions from the study and making appropriate recommendations. The results of this study confirm that the study assisted in making a significant contribution to the producers and marketers of the Afrikaans film theatre industry. This research helps the industry to better understand their market based on its purchase behaviour. This research enables Afrikaans film producers and marketers to improve the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns amongst Afrikaans arts festival patrons and younger Afrikaans film theatre attendees. Ultimately, implementing the recommendations of this study will lead to the increase of Afrikaans film theatre ticket sales and help sustain this currently struggling Afrikaans film theatre industry. / MCom (Tourism Management), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Festivals have become a global phenomenon and now serve as a platform to promote the leisure and tourism industry within a nation. These events have an undisputed economic effect – not only on the hosting community – but also on the global community. Despite the encouraging community support and the socio-economic impact and spin-offs that are generated by means of such events, the financing of art festivals remains an intricate issue. The fact remains that not all festivals are financially self-sustainable and so require extensive sponsorship in order to ensure the continuation of the event. Limited government funding available due to budget constraints curbs the financial support forthcoming from municipalities and so forces event organisers to seek alternative funding to ensure the survival and feasibility of events. This responsibility places an additional burden on event organisers and so necessitates the use of assessment tools in order to convince private and public institutions or individuals to invest in such events through sponsorships. During an extensive literature study, it became apparent that the need exists to re-assess fully the economic impact analysis of events. The literature revealed that varying models are used to conduct economic impact analyses. In order to establish a concise framework within which to conduct an economic assessment, it was decided to select only the most-used models – Computable General Equilibrium (CGE), Input-Output (I-O) and Social Accounting Matrix (SAM). The dilemma facing tourism economists is to determine which economic assessment approach is most effective as every methodology has its own advantages and disadvantages. In addition, the type and size of an event also plays a fundamental role when selecting an appropriate measuring tool. This research was further motivated because of the existing gap that exists in the South African context for no study has yet been conducted where the various models that assess economic impact have been applied to the collated data of the same event. This study thus aims to provide an overview and a comparison of competing and supplementing methodologies for modelling the regional economic dynamics and the impacts of events. It further investigates the manner in which regional CGE, I-O and SAM based (multiplier) models operate towards capturing the region-specific, inter-regional and multi-regional production, consumption and factor market patterns as result of expenditures incurred during events. An analysis of the virtues and the limitations of these economic assessment methodologies suggests that it may be the considerations such as the data collection/compilation, expected output, research objectives and costs involved that ultimately determine the choice of a specific modelling framework. While addressing the problem stated above, this study produced the following three articles that are now embodied in the work: * Article 1 - “Critical assessment of economic impact analyses of the ABSA Klein Karoo National Arts Festival”, and * Article 2 - “Critical assessment of economic impact analyses of the Aardklop National Arts Festival”. Article 2 investigated and compared the economic assessment results when applying specific constructed models, being the Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) and Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) for the appropriate provinces, to the available data obtained from previous surveys conducted at the 2010 ABSA Klein Karoo National Arts Festival and from the Aardklop National Arts Festival. The two articles indicated that when different models of assessment are applied to the same data set of an event, the economic impact results might differ significantly. This may serve as a warning to economic assessors, academics and researchers that economic impact results can be misleading and therefore the application thereof should be handled with the utmost care in order to avoid misinterpretations and misconceptions. * Article 3, “Assessing the economic impact of the Aardklop National Arts Festival: a feast of models to opt for – or not?” In this article, data from a visitor and business survey conducted at the 2010 Aardklop National Arts Festival was used in the analyses made by applying SAM, CGE and I-O regional models constructed for South Africa’s Northwest Province. Results from these analyses were then compared in order to give researchers and practitioners a better insight and clarity regarding which approach works best for the economic assessment of an arts festival. This article highlighted the fact that the measured economic impact results differ when various models that are applied to the same event. It also became evident that the most conservative economic impact was measured by an I-O model, followed with a higher SAM measurement, while CGE revealed the highest economic assessment. The most significant contribution of this study is embedded in the fact that within the South African context – and even globally – it is the first study of its kind that aimed to determine the economic impact by means of applying more than one assessment model to the data set of a single event. Further, this study provides guidelines for event organisers, academics and economic advisors to follow in conjunction with the existing body of knowledge and practical implementation structures when assessing the economic impact of events. / Thesis (PhD (Tourism Management))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012