Tourist Festivals and Territorial Development: a case study on the Jazz in Marciac Festival

Abstract

From the year 1982, new possibilities were given to the spatial organization of the French territory. In these spaces, the actions of social groups are recognized. Therefore, the social group builds the territory but the environment in which it lives also influences it. This paper studies the case of the Jazz in Marciac festival as an example of territorial development associated with the dimension of the voluntary commitment of the population towards a common objective and a source of debate. This jazz festival takes place at the village of Gers, Marciac and is guided by the principles of popular education. Today it gives life to its territory through national and international recognition as one of the most recognized jazz festivals. This is why we decided to ask ourselves about the causes of success at the jazz festival in a French village. So the questions came out: what does this imply in terms of development at the scale of its surroundings? Why and how this festival contributed to authentic development to the extent of its territory. The territory of Marciac turned a music festival into a local development opportunity, by its strength for cultural tourism, the valuation of local heritage and the improvement of living conditions. So the festival has become a showcase for local productions and a driving force for regional planning, it improves cultural, social and economic aspects of its territory.

Keywords

• jazz festival
• territory development
• cultural tourism
• popular education