BUSINESS AND TOURISM MANAGEMENT: TRANSYLVANIA INTERNATIONAL FILM IN ROMANIA

BUSINESS AND TOURISM MANAGEMENT

TRANSYLVANIA INTERNATIONAL FILM IN ROMANIA

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Table of Figures

Chapter 1: Introduction

Aims and Objectives

This report revolves around TIFF – the Transylvania International Film Festival – annually held in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The festivity is valuable as a means of presenting international and Romanian cinematography, as well as a phenomenon that influences the cultural and historical tourism development. Nevertheless, with the development of the festival, sustainability problems like over-tourism and negative impacts on the environment have become an issue.

Figure 1 - Transilvania Festival in Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Source - (Vourlias, 2022)

The purpose of this report is to discuss these threats within the context of TIFF, understand how and why they arose, their effects, and potential remedies with regard to sustainable and cultural tourism. There are a few action areas for cultural and historical tourism that are critical in popularising and protecting the identity of tourist destinations, such as Transylvania. As a cultural event, TIFF gathers thousands of people interested in film and Romanian history. On the other hand, tourism increases the pressure on the environment and infrastructure of the region (Tiff. ro, 2024). Hence, the report, with a focus on accommodation and food service facilities, will discuss how sustainable tourism can be incorporated with large-scale cultural events such as TIFF so that it may continue to offer cultural, economic, and social value while bearing less negative impacts in the way of environmental degradation and exploitation of community resources.

Definitions

Tourism Impacts: The effects of tourism on the economy, society, culture, and the environment. These impacts can be both positive, such as increased revenue and cultural exchange, and negative, such as environmental degradation and cultural commodification (Filmitalia, 2024).

Sustainable Development: Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (TIFF, 2024). In tourism, this means promoting travel and activities that do not harm the environment, economy, or society.

Ecotourism: A form of sustainable tourism focused on visiting natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of local people (Festagent, 2024). Ecotourism often involves minimal environmental impact and promotes environmental awareness.

Ethical Tourism: This involves making travel decisions that benefit local communities, respect local culture, and minimise negative impacts on the environment (Eventival.com, 2024). Ethical tourism emphasises responsible behavior by both tourists and businesses.

Overview of the Destination

Romania, and particularly the region of Transylvania, has a rich historical and cultural heritage. Transylvania is famous for its medieval castles, Saxon villages, and associations with the Dracula legend, but it is also becoming increasingly well-known for its cultural events. The Transylvania International Film Festival, established in 2002, is the first international film festival in Romania dedicated to feature films. Held annually in Cluj-Napoca, the festival has grown to become one of the most important events of its kind in Central and Eastern Europe, attracting more than 100,000 visitors each year (DutchCulture, 2022). TIFF plays a critical role in promoting both Romanian cinema and Cluj-Napoca as a cultural tourism destination. The festival’s venues are spread across the city, utilising historical and contemporary spaces, including open-air venues and restored historical buildings. This combination of film and location draws tourists not just for the cinema but for the broader cultural and historical experience of Cluj-Napoca. Despite the festival's success in promoting Romanian culture, its popularity has led to challenges such as overtourism, which strains the local infrastructure, increases waste, and contributes to environmental degradation (ASEF, 2018).

This report is structured to provide a comprehensive analysis of the sustainability challenges associated with the Transylvania International Film Festival, along with strategic recommendations to address these issues. The evolution of sustainable tourism, highlighting the relationship between sustainability, ecotourism, and ethical tourism. It will also look at how overtourism impacts standard cultural tourists’ hubs such as Cluj-Napoca during TIFF. The tourist routes from other regions to TIFF and the expenses of attending the festival. It will also provide an analysis of the types of tourism linked to the festival and the positive and negative impacts on the local economy, culture, and environment (Grad-Rusu, 2019, pp.1259-1264). A stakeholder analysis will identify the roles and CSR objectives of the key players involved in TIFF’s organisation. The sustainability challenges faced by TIFF, particularly overtourism and environmental degradation. It will analyse the difficulties in addressing these challenges, considering factors such as infrastructure limitations, waste management, and the need for stakeholder collaboration (S?lcudean, 2018, pp.194-214). The key findings of the report and propose strategic recommendations for mitigating overtourism and other sustainability challenges at TIFF. These recommendations will align with the festival’s long-term goals, corporate social responsibility (CSR) principles, and the sustainable development of tourism in Cluj-Napoca.

Chapter 2: Origins of Sustainable Tourism

Sustainable Tourism and Its Evolution

Sustainable tourism has evolved as a response to the increasing awareness of tourism's environmental, social, and cultural impacts. Initially, tourism was viewed primarily as an economic driver, contributing to local and national economies. However, over time, it became evident that unchecked tourism could lead to environmental degradation, social disruption, and the loss of cultural heritage (Virginás, 2018, pp.219-225). Sustainable tourism emerged as a solution, promoting tourism that meets the needs of present tourists without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

The concept of sustainable tourism gained prominence in the late 20th century, particularly after the 1987 Brundtland Report, which introduced the concept of sustainable development. This report emphasised the importance of balancing economic growth with environmental protection and social equity (Tánczos, 2018, p.3). Sustainable tourism embraces these goals since it promotes tourism that has the least harm on the environment while viewing the positive impacts on locals and physical surroundings. Sustainable tourism has gained support from global players, including the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), in addition to formulating guidelines and practices for tourism development. SDGs for which Tourism contributes include the eradication of poverty, zero hunger, affordable and clean energy, clean water and sanitation, decent work and economic growth, industry, innovation and infrastructure, sustainable cities and communities, responsible consumption and production, climate action, peace and justice, and strong institutions, as captured by the UNWTO’S 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (Grgic et al., 2022, pp.240-244). Thus, the goals of sustainable development become the components of the national tourism policy of many countries, which aim at the reception of a mass of tourism benefits without damaging the environmental and community resources.

Key Theories and Concepts

Sustainability, ecotourism, and ethical tourism are tightly linked with the creation of sustainable tourism. Although related, these concepts focus on different aspects of responsible travel:

Sustainability: Sustainable tourism seeks to achieve the optimal beneficial effects of tourism on the surrounding environment while having few adverse impacts (Foris et al., 2022, pp.483-491). It promotes the efficient use of resources, the protection of ecosystems, and the equitable distribution of economic benefits.

Ecotourism: A subset of sustainable tourism, ecotourism focuses specifically on nature-based travel that supports conservation efforts, promotes environmental awareness, and benefits local communities (Virginás, 2020, pp.167-185). It often involves visiting protected natural areas and participating in activities that have minimal environmental impact.

Ethical Tourism: This concept mainly focuses on the rights and wrongdoings of the tourists as well as the tourism practitioners. Ethical tourism, therefore, honours local traditions, pays reasonable wages and treats people and the environment honourably (Patton, 2021, pp.156-157). It makes tourists act in a specific manner, which enhances the welfare of the places they visit.

Overtourism and Its Impacts

Overtourism is becoming a reality in many places where the level of tourists exceeds the carrying capacity of the environment and the ability to support structures. These may deteriorate the quality of the environment and population density, put pressure on existing infrastructure, and much lower standards of living among residents as well (Manavis et al., 2020, pp. 549-555). Overtourism can also negatively affect the visitor, capturing the negative experiences of overcrowding and reduced Perceived Authenticity. Hearing the story of the Transylvania International Film Festival (TIFF) offers a perfect case to explain how overtourism works at a cultural event. Occurring annually in Cluj-Napoca, TIFF is now one of Romania’s most significant cultural fixtures, with more than 100,000 attendees annually.

Nevertheless, the festival has a direct positive impact on the economic value of the region, with negative repercussions on infrastructure congestion, especially on accommodation, transport, and Sanitation (Nofia, 2024, p.44). Therefore, there is a clash between the attainable benefits or gains, such as economically, where the local authorities and organisers of the festival take to in relation to the environment and physical features of the city. Another primary concern associated with overtourism is the “Wicked Problem” of tourism, which speaks to the many-foldededness of the problem and their interrelations and the often incompatible and conflicting nature of their goals when considering the economics of tourism (Pagrandyt? and Astrauskien?, 2021, p. 180). Solutions to overtourism are often difficult to implement because they require cooperation between multiple stakeholders, including local governments, tourism operators, and residents, all of whom may have competing interests

Positive vs Negative Tourism Impacts

To better understand the effects of tourism, it is helpful to compare the positive and negative impacts, particularly within the context of the Transylvania International Film Festival:

Impact Type	Positive Impact	Negative Impact
Economic	- Boosts local economy through spending on accommodation, food, and transportation. - Creates jobs in the tourism and service sectors.	- Inflation of local prices due to high demand during the festival. - Economic benefits may not be evenly distributed among residents.
Social	- Promotes cultural exchange between visitors and locals. - Enhances the global visibility of Romanian culture and arts.	- Overcrowding disrupts daily life for residents. - Local culture may become commodified, losing its authenticity (Varga, 2023, pp.73-79).
Environmental	- Can raise awareness of environmental issues through sustainable tourism practices. - Encourages preservation of cultural heritage sites.	- Increased waste generation and pollution during the festival. - Pressure on local resources, such as water and energy.
Cultural	- Promotes the preservation of Romanian films and traditions. - Supports the local film industry by providing a platform for Romanian filmmakers.	- Cultural sites may suffer damage from overuse by large crowds. - The festival may cater more to international tastes, diluting local cultural expressions (Tiff.ro, 2024).

Difference between Sustainable tourism and mass Tourism

In terms of the goals and effects, sustainable tourism and mass tourism are two different concepts:

Sustainable tourism: Sustainable tourism concentrates on reducing the socially, culturally, and environmentally unfavourable impacts of tourism. Just like tourism, it encourages sustainable tourism patterns that create awareness and respect for cultural and natural heritage and the fair distribution of the resulting economic value to those affected. Sustainable tourism seeks to satisfy the current generation's demands without jeopardizing the capabilities of the next generation to meet their needs.

Mass tourism: mass tourism is different as vast numbers of tourists visit such areas, and the economies of these areas are overexploited. It tends to favour economic development over environmental and social conservation because it has witnessed environmental exploitation, cultural commercialisation, and inequitable distribution of financial gains. Many people, therefore, correlate mass tourism with congestion and the publication of natural and cultural attractions with negative consequences for the environment and community. Sustainable tourism wants to address these problems by encouraging the practice of free, low-impact travel.

Chapter 3: The Nature of Transylvania International Film Festival

Tourist Routes and Costs

The Transylvania International Film Festival (TIFF) takes place annually in Cluj-Napoca, the historic capital of Transylvania. Tourists from the UK or any other international destination have various routes to access Cluj-Napoca, which is serviced by Avram Iancu International Airport. This airport offers direct flights from several European cities, but there are typically no direct flights from most UK cities. Instead, travelers often fly from London (Heathrow, Gatwick, or Luton) or other major UK cities such as Manchester, via connecting flights in hubs like Bucharest, Vienna, or Munich. The estimated costs for a round trip from the UK to Cluj-Napoca vary based on the airline and booking time. Direct or one-stop flights generally range from £150 to £350, depending on the season and booking window. Flight durations from London, including layovers, can range from 5 to 8 hours. After arriving in Cluj-Napoca, tourists can easily access the city center, where the festival venues are located, using taxis, buses, or airport shuttle services, which typically cost around £5-£10. Once in Cluj-Napoca, festival-goers can use public transportation or walk between the festival venues, many of which are located in the historic city center (Festagent, 2024). Entry to TIFF screenings ranges between £4 to £7 per ticket, while multi-event passes provide discounted rates for frequent attendees. Accommodation in Cluj-Napoca ranges from budget hostels at £10-£20 per night to mid-range hotels for £40-£80 per night ? (Boucher, 2023).

Tourism Type and Impact

TIFF is an event closely tied to cultural tourism, with visitors attending the festival for its showcase of international and Romanian cinema. The festival promotes the cinematic arts and enhances Cluj-Napoca's cultural reputation on a global scale (Eventival.com, 2024). This form of cultural and historical tourism enriches both the local community and visitors by providing a platform for cultural exchange and creative expression.

Positive Impacts

Economic Boost: TIFF draws more than 100,000 visitors each year, significantly boosting the local economy. Small-scale traders, including accommodation facilities, hotels, food eateries, and transport companies, have recovered from their businesses during this festival. Italian tourists also contribute to increasing the recognition of Cluj-Napoca as a cultural tourism destination.

Cultural Exchange and Preservation: The Festival allows Romanian directors to present their work together with works presented worldwide, thus presenting Romanian culture and traditions. Furthermore, it helps to build cultural bridges between movie makers, movie-related businesses, and moviegoers across the globe (TIFF, 2024).

Urban Regeneration: In a certain respect, the festival has had an impact on the development of urban renewal by promoting open-air areas and historical buildings as reference points for locations related to the festival; all these are important tourist attractions for people interested in architecture and history (Filmitalia, 2024).

Negative Impacts

Overtourism: The festival has become popular, and the popularity of the city of Cluj-Napoca may become a problem of over-tourism. This can put pressure on the local infrastructure with main issues such as traffic congestion, crowded visits to certain attractions and an overload of local services (TIFF, 2024).

Environmental Stress: It also increases the adverse effects such as the generation of waste, high energy consumption and emissions from increased traffic (Filmitalia, 2024). The environmental aspects associated with large-scale events such as TIFF are factors that border on the large output and the effects they have on the environment and must be dealt with sustainably.

Stakeholder Analysis

The following represent significant stakeholders in the TIFF and stakeholders that the festival management, local government, private companies and environmental organisations. All of them have essential responsibilities for the sustainable management practice to address prospect and emergent issues that threaten the sustainability of the festival.

Stakeholder	Role	Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Goals	Future Aims and Vision
TIFF Organisers	Planning and managing the festival’s events and venues.	Promote Romanian cinema and culture while adopting sustainable event practices.	Minimise waste and energy use through eco-friendly practices and offsetting carbon emissions (ASEF, 2018).
Local Authorities (Cluj-Napoca City Hall)	Provide infrastructure and public services to accommodate visitors.	Ensure that tourism growth aligns with city planning and environmental protection initiatives.	Develop infrastructure that can handle large tourist inflows while preserving the city’s cultural heritage (DutchCulture, 2022).
Hotels and Restaurants	Offer accommodation and food services to tourists.	Implement sustainable business practices, such as waste reduction and energy conservation.	Encourage the use of local, eco-friendly products and reduce the carbon footprint of operations.
Environmental NGOs	Advocate for the reduction of the environmental impact of the festival.	Raise awareness about the environmental impact of large events and propose sustainable solutions (TIFF, 2021).	Work with TIFF organisers to promote eco-friendly transport, waste management, and energy use (ASEF, 2018).

Festival authorities are gradually sensitive to the concept of sustainable management of events like TIFF. For instance, they have created campaigns involving the elimination of the use of single-use plastic products and boosting recycling of such products in festival sites. However, there are such opportunities left as carbon offsetting for travel emissions as well as decreasing energy consumption of the event infrastructure. Local authorities play a significant role in ensuring that tourism linked to the festival is sustainable. Their CSR goals include ensuring that tourism growth does not compromise the city’s cultural and historical landmarks. Their vision for the future focuses on developing tourism infrastructure that can accommodate the growing number of visitors while minimising the environmental footprint? (CINEIMPACT ALLIANCE, 2024). Hotels and restaurants, as primary service providers during the festival, have started implementing sustainability practices such as using locally sourced ingredients and reducing plastic waste. However, more businesses need to adopt similar measures to contribute to the festival’s sustainability goals.

Chapter 4: Challenges to Implementing Sustainability in the Festival

Common Sustainability Challenges

Sustainable tourism faces numerous challenges worldwide, especially in the context of large events like the Transylvania International Film Festival (TIFF). Some common sustainability challenges in tourism include:

Overtourism: Popular tourist destinations often face the issue of overtourism, where the number of visitors exceeds the capacity of the local environment and infrastructure. This leads to overcrowding, strain on local resources, and environmental degradation, diminishing the quality of life for residents and the tourist experience (Grad-Rusu, 2019, pp.1259-1264).

Environmental Degradation: Tourism can cause significant environmental harm if not managed properly. The carbon footprint from transportation, increased waste generation, and the depletion of natural resources like water and energy are all serious concerns. Large-scale events like festivals add pressure to waste management systems, contributing to landfills and pollution.

Economic Inequality: While tourism can bring economic benefits, it often exacerbates economic inequality in destination areas. Profits generated by tourism may not be equitably distributed, with large corporations and businesses benefitting more than local communities (S?lcudean, 2018, pp.194-214). Additionally, increased demand for local services during festivals can lead to price inflation, which affects residents negatively.

Cultural Erosion: The commodification of local cultures to cater to international tourists can lead to a loss of cultural authenticity. Festivals, while showcasing local talent and traditions, can sometimes over-commercialise local culture, diluting its original value and meaning.

Resource Management: Water, energy, and other resources are often overused in tourism activities, especially during peak seasons. Managing the demand for resources, particularly in regions that may already experience shortages, is a major challenge in ensuring sustainable tourism (Virginás, 2018, pp.219-225).

Specific Sustainable Issue: Overtourism at TIFF

One of the most pressing sustainability challenges faced by the Transylvania International Film Festival (TIFF) is overtourism. Held annually in Cluj-Napoca, TIFF draws more than 100,000 attendees from around the world. While the festival brings significant economic and cultural benefits, it also puts immense pressure on the city’s infrastructure and resources.

Key Challenges in Addressing Overtourism

Infrastructure Overload: Cluj-Napoca’s infrastructure struggles to accommodate the surge of visitors during TIFF. Hotels, public transportation, and local services often become overwhelmed, leading to overcrowded streets, traffic congestion, and overbooked accommodation. The strain on infrastructure not only impacts visitors’ experiences but also affects the daily lives of local residents, who may find it difficult to access essential services during the festival (Tánczos, 2018, p.3).

Environmental Impact: The environmental cost of overtourism during TIFF is significant. Increased waste generation, energy consumption, and transportation emissions are major concerns. Thousands of attendees travel to the city, many of them by air, significantly increasing the carbon footprint of the event. Once in Cluj-Napoca, the large crowds generate a considerable amount of waste, from plastic bottles and food packaging to promotional materials (Grgic et al., 2022, pp.240-244). Waste management systems often struggle to keep up, leading to pollution and unsustainable disposal practices?.

Cultural and Social Impact: The influx of tourists also poses risks to the cultural and social fabric of Cluj-Napoca. While TIFF promotes Romanian cinema and culture, the large number of international visitors can lead to the commodification of local culture, as businesses may cater more to tourist demands than preserving local traditions. This dilutes the authenticity of cultural experiences for both visitors and residents (Foris et al., 2022, pp.483-491). Additionally, the festival’s success can lead to gentrification, with rising property prices and rental costs pushing out local residents.

Seasonal Pressure: TIFF, like many large festivals, creates a seasonal surge in tourism, putting immense pressure on the city for a short period of time. This leads to a boom-and-bust cycle, where local businesses and infrastructure must prepare for a sudden influx of visitors, only to experience a significant drop in demand once the festival ends (Virginás, 2020, pp.167-185). Managing this uneven distribution of tourism is challenging, as local services must balance between high and low seasons, often leading to inefficient resource use.

Efforts and Difficulties in Addressing Overtourism

Efforts to mitigate overtourism at TIFF have focused on a few key strategies, though these have faced significant difficulties.

Promoting Sustainable Transport: TIFF organizers have begun promoting sustainable transportation options, such as encouraging attendees to use public transport, carpool, or bike around the city. However, despite these efforts, the festival still relies heavily on international visitors, many of whom fly into Cluj-Napoca, contributing significantly to the event’s carbon footprint (Nofia, 2024, p.44). Reducing the environmental impact of transportation remains one of the most difficult challenges, as it requires coordinated efforts beyond the control of festival organisers.

Managing Visitor Numbers: One potential solution to overtourism is limiting the number of festival-goers. While this approach could reduce the strain on infrastructure and the environment, it faces resistance due to its economic implications. TIFF generates substantial revenue for the local economy, and restricting attendance could hurt local businesses that rely on the influx of tourists (Patton, 2021, pp.156-157). Finding a balance between economic growth and sustainable visitor numbers is a major challenge for festival organisers.

Spreading Tourism beyond the City Center: Another approach has been to spread festival events across a wider area, rather than concentrating them in Cluj-Napoca’s city center. By holding screenings and events in surrounding areas, TIFF can alleviate some of the pressure on the city’s infrastructure (Manavis et al., 2020, pp.549-555). However, this solution requires additional investment in transportation and logistics, as well as the cooperation of nearby communities, which may not have the capacity to handle large crowds.

Improving Waste Management: Festival waste is another crucial FSC as TIFF organisers strive to enhance wastage management by improving recycling and minimising the application of plastic canopies at the event's venues. Yet, they are still somewhat limited and due to the massive scale of the festival, a considerable amount of waste is produced (Pagrandyt? and Astrauskien?, 2021, p.36). Some of the adverse effects of the festival could be avoided if more resources were put into better waste disposal systems, like composting grounds or waste-to-energy plants.

Chapter 5: Conclusion and Recommendations

The Transylvania International Film Festival is now an essential cultural festival in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, with over 100,000 turnouts for this festival every year. It has turned out to be a dominant cog in the wheel in the development of city tourism, particularly in promoting cultural tourism and enhancing the economic potential of the city by drawing tourists from other nations and states across the country. However, TIFF also experiences some sustainability threats: the most dangerous one is overpowering tourism. TIFF causes issues of over-exploitation of available infrastructure, degradation of nature and disruption of average living standards in the area. However, the impacts are short-term since the festival attracts a large number of people flooding the city of Cluj-Napoca, which usually struggles to accommodate the population explosion during crisp seasons. The pollution index occurring during the celebration of the festival is rather an issue. The consequences of the festival and carnival include transportation emissions and pressure on local waste disposal systems and energy resources. Moreover, cultural effects, including the commercialisation of Romanian culture to serve the purpose of tourism, have threats to contaminate traditional practices and culture.

Recommendations

Sustainable Management Solutions to Overtourism

For purposes of managing the sustainability impacts of overtourism on TIFF, a strategic and a systemised approach is needed. The following recommendations are proposed, with an emphasis on aligning with the festival’s future goals, the CSR principles of stakeholders, and sustainable tourism objectives:

Visitor Management and Controlled Growth

One of the major overlying solutions that’ve been identified in managing overtourism at TIFF is through controlling the population density to avoid physical contact. This can be achieved through:

Capacity Limits: Limiting the number of tickets that can be sold to certain screenings or the total number of visitors that some of the venues can accommodate at any one time. This will help also improve the visitor experience and take pressure out of local facilities.

Tiered Pricing and Off-Peak Promotions: Encouraging attendance during less crowded times by offering discounted tickets for off-peak hours or days. This will help distribute the visitor load more evenly and prevent overwhelming local services at peak times (Varga, 2023, pp.73-79).

Sustainable Transportation Initiatives

Transportation contributes significantly to TIFF’s environmental footprint, particularly due to international air travel and local transport congestion. Recommendations to reduce transportation-related emissions include:

Eco-Friendly Transport Options: TIFF can collaborate with local authorities to promote eco-friendly transportation options such as electric shuttle buses, bike-sharing programs, and pedestrian-friendly routes for festival attendees. A shuttle service linking major venues with the city outskirts could reduce car usage within the city center.

Carbon Offsetting Programs: TIFF can partner with carbon offsetting organisations to offer attendees the option to offset their travel emissions. Promoting sustainable travel methods and providing incentives for attendees who opt for greener transport options (such as trains instead of flights within Europe) would also help reduce the carbon footprint (Grad-Rusu, 2019, pp.1259-1264).

Waste Management and Resource Efficiency

TIFF generates substantial waste, which strains Cluj-Napoca’s waste management systems. The following strategies can mitigate this:

Zero-Waste Initiative: The festival should strive towards becoming a zero-waste event by reducing single-use plastics, promoting the use of biodegradable materials, and providing well-marked recycling bins throughout the festival venues. Collaborating with local environmental organisations to implement sustainable waste management practices would further help.

Sustainable Event Certification: TIFF can work towards obtaining sustainable event certifications, such as ISO 20121 or the Green Festival Standard, which require adherence to strict guidelines on waste management, energy use, and overall environmental impact reduction (S?lcudean, 2018, pp.194-214).

Community Engagement and Local Benefits

TIFF should engage more actively with the local community to ensure that the festival’s economic and cultural benefits are shared equitably and that local residents are not disproportionately affected by the negative impacts of tourism.

Local Business Collaboration: Strengthening partnerships with local businesses (hotels, restaurants, transport services) to promote sustainable practices, such as sourcing local, eco-friendly products and reducing their environmental footprint. Encouraging attendees to patronise local businesses would ensure that the economic benefits of the festival are more widely distributed.

Cultural Preservation Programs: Incorporating cultural preservation initiatives into the festival’s programming, such as workshops on Romanian traditions or collaborations with local artisans, would help prevent cultural commodification. This can reinforce the importance of maintaining cultural authenticity while providing tourists with a deeper, more meaningful experience (Virginás, 2018, pp.219-225).

Stakeholder Collaboration for Long-Term Sustainability

Sustainability at TIFF requires active collaboration among multiple stakeholders, including festival organisers, local authorities, businesses, and environmental groups. A unified vision that aligns with corporate social responsibility (CSR) principles will be essential for achieving long-term success (Grgic et al., 2022, pp.240-244).

Regular Sustainability Assessments: Conducting regular assessments of the festival’s sustainability impact, in collaboration with environmental NGOs and local government bodies, can provide data-driven insights to guide future initiatives. These assessments should focus on resource use, waste generation, transportation, and the festival’s overall carbon footprint.

Public-Private Partnerships: TIFF should seek partnerships with private companies and government entities to fund and implement large-scale sustainability initiatives, such as infrastructure improvements or green energy projects (Tánczos, 2018, p.3).

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