The Nexus Between Arts and Ageing: Bridging the Generational Gaps

PRE-RELEASED VERSION

Martinette Kruger, Adam Viljoen, Bianca Manners

Martinette Kruger, a tourism management professor at North-West University, focuses on market segmentation in tourism, especially in developing countries and multicultural societies. She has published over 120 scientific papers and is recognized by the National Research Foundation in South Africa as an established researcher.
Adam Viljoen is an associate professor of tourism management at North-West University. The National Research Foundation recognizes him as an emerging researcher. He is interested in niche and special interest tourism experiences applied within various domains.
Bianca Manners is a senior lecturer at the School of Tourism Management at the North-West University. Her research focuses on Events Management, and she has recently started a new venture in her research focusing on Pet Tourism and Volunteering Tourism.

ABSTRACT
This study explored the generational dynamics influencing attendance at a South African Afrikaans national arts festival, addressing challenges of audience diversification and sustainability in cultural tourism. Anchored in Generational Theory, the research examines how socio-economic characteristics, motivations, and perceptions shape festival participation across four generational cohorts. A quantitative methodology used a prominent festival as a case study, involving 488 respondents surveyed via a self-administered questionnaire. Key variables such as age, expenditure, motivations, and satisfaction with festival attributes were analyzed through Exploratory Factor Analyses, ANOVAs and Chi-Square tests. The study revealed distinct generational typologies, shedding light on the interplay between historical contexts, cultural consumption, and festival management. By situating these insights within South Africa’s socio-political landscape, the research contributes to theoretical advancements in age-based segmentation and offers actionable recommendations for enhancing audience engagement. The research findings underscore the importance of tailoring festival strategies to local socio-historical contexts while highlighting universal challenges and opportunities in sustaining cultural events.
KEYWORDS
Music Generational Theory; age cohorts, arts festivals, age-based segmentation; cultural consumption; multicultural societies; audience typology; South Africa