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September 16, 1996 For Immediate Release

A University of Northern British Columbia professor has found that the loss of the Vanderhoof Airshow has had significant effects on peoples' perceptions of their community, with community spirit and community pride sustaining the greatest hits.

Resource Recreation and Tourism professor John Shultis conducted a public survey of 150 people in Vanderhoof. Preliminary findings include:

• When asked to identify the most important benefit of the airshow to the community, most people (32%) indicated that it helped form Vanderhoof's identity. 22% said it boosted the economy, 19% said it brought tourists to the community, and 14% said it increased community pride/spirit.
• 27% of respondents indicated that decreased awareness of Vanderhoof as a tourist destination was the most important negative impact of the loss of the airshow. 20% said there's now less community pride/spirit, and 15% said there has been a loss of community identity.
• 93% of respondents said that the airshow provided benefits to Vanderhoof, and 89% said there has been an overall negative impact resulting from the loss of the airshow.

"While the event was running, people in the community saw their town as 'the little town that could' and they were proud of the fact this international event could attract visitors from across the region and the province," says Dr Shultis. "The loss of the event to Prince George also seemed to strike a sensitive nerve."

Most research on special events has focused on the impact of hosted events; the impact of ex-events, or of lost events, has not yet been studied. In addition, most research has focused on high-visibility events in large cities, and on economic aspects rather than social and psychological factors.

"Tourist events can have a significant impact on the quality of life, especially when these events are held in small communities," says Dr Shultis. "When special events are lost, community spirit and pride, which forms a significant part of quality of life, decreases."

The mail survey was phase one of a two-part project. The second phase will involve interviewing community leaders and event organizers to obtain more in-depth data.