Purpose of the paper: The aim of this paper is to explore the effects generated by a suite of cultural micro-medium events in an urban destination on both hotels’ performance and the seasonality structure in order to promote sustainable tourism development.
Methodology: The empirical analysis uses a mixed method that combines a quantitative analysis of the daily performance of a destination with a desk analysis of press interviews to local stakeholders.
Findings: The results highlight a positive contribution of cultural micro-medium events to tourism at the destination. This evidence contributes to the academic debate on strategic event management by shedding light on the potential role of minor cultural events as a driver for sustainable tourism development.
Practical implications: This study suggests guidelines to destination managers on how to benefit from micro-medium cultural events: a strong connection with the destination’s vocations, the importance of public-private collaboration and the establishment of a portfolio of recurrent events.