Cultural Development Strategies and Urban Gay Tourism Revitalization

Municipal governments increasingly turn to cultural and leisure activities to promote and revitalize their cities. This study analysed the development of gay tourism in Barcelona (Spain) by means of music festivals. While a significant body of literature has examined revitalization strategies that focus primarily around entertainment and commerce, this paper focuses on strategies in the development of cultural and leisure activities around this specific tourism population. It presents findings from a local survey distributed to key stakeholders in the promotion and development of this tourism (local agents and gay tourists). The survey data indicate that although most agents are guided by a varied set of goals, marketing objectives ("image city" and "brand city") guide the development and support of urban gay tourism in Barcelona.