The hallmark events in great cultural touristic destinations. The case of Greco´s year in Toledo, Spain

Abstract

Cultural tourism has really taken off in the last decade touristic destinies are now part of a highly competitive market. The heritage has turned into an economic asset. Generalization of its trading is now in place through various touristic products. This is the case of cultural events focusing tourism. Among them stand out hallmark events. These are exceptional events. They take place in order to improve the attractiveness and cost effectiveness of a touristic destination. These occurrences are an opportunity to organize them through remembrance services. In this article we go through hallmark events in main cultural touristic destinies. That´s the reason why we carry out a study in order to analyze later events after Greco´s death in the city of Toledo, the IV centenary of his death. The approach used consists of a literary revision, direct observation analyze sources of information and a poll amongst visitors and inhabitants. The results will show the great economic and touristic scope of the event. However among visitors, Greco´s year was a secondary reason to attend the venue. In the host community 40% of the inhabitants didn´t take part in the event.