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Establishing the protocols required consensus-building exercises. During these prolonged discussion periods, many of the planning activities lost their momentum. As the festival training activities began, however, the international artists were able to provide examples and models from ferragamo outlet which the indigenous communities could evolve joint venture festival experiences. The extemporaneous flow of the festivals enabled the participating communities to exchange, experiment and progress their ideas. As noted earlier in this chapter, the festival youth initiated and continued the festival learning experiences by studying their own and others cultural dances and by organizing performing tours to several countries.

In some instances, the efforts to control or discontinue festival tourism did have effect as community volunteer groups were confronted with newly imposed fee structures on what had previously been free public service. Elaborate festival tourism decision¬making processes were also imposed, replacing the community club planning system. For example, a year of multiple public hearings and council approvals was requiredferragamo outlet for each festival tourism activity. When members of the community did not comply, whether wittingly or unwittingly, the local media were advised and thus community volunteers and their festival tourism efforts were afforded unexpected, investigative reporting from the media.

In these settings, efforts to develop festival tourism were stressed, as visitor markets became acutely aware of the compounding economic, natural, political and technology challenges and their effect on the changing demographics and social cultural landscapes of the communities. In delving into these challenges, two research teams, one in regional developmentferragamo outlet and one focusing on indigenous tourism, undertook action research in rural communities from 1995 to 1997 in regional Queensland and regional New South Wales. Festival directors from 50 countries participated in the action research tours, seminars, conferences and experimental festival tourism projects.

The capabilities of rural communities to change their mindsets either to welcome the international market or to complete within a global economy, and the poor management of tourism development in many regional areas, and the outcome on regional economies and community practice in preserving sites of ritual, historical or ecological significance. The issues offerragamo outlet sustainability and progressability were raised in the discussions on each challenge. Economic sustainability issues appeared to revolve around the ebb and flow pattern of tourist market interests.

Accordingly, the benefits of the festival tourism investment were perceived by sponsors and government agencies to reach greater numbers of small businesses who are either contracted for festival service or experience increased revenues from visitor traffic. An opposing view, registered predominantly by regional festival directors, questionedferragamo outlet this past practice. The point of their argument did not call for a reduction in investment in urban festival tourism.