Cultural events are endorsed in urban cultural policy for their economic role in supporting the
tourism industry and their social role in strengthening community cohesion. Nevertheless, conflicts
can arise between these two objectives, especially in cities already experiencing massive tourism
regardless of the staging of major events. Taking Venice as a case study, we investigate the effects
that different types of cultural events have on the relationship between residents and tourists in a
crowding-in/temporary crowding-out dynamic. We implement a structural equation model using a
unique dataset that records the daily number of residents, tourists, day visitors and commuters in
the city. Results show evidence of both a crowding-in and temporary crowding-out effect during
major cultural events, whereas such effects are not present for cultural events associated with local
traditions. The paper highlights how these dynamics can impact the economy and the management
of tourism destinations during cultural events.
