Edinburgh Napier University

  Purpose – This editorial aims to provide a brief overview of recent developments in the events industry in general, and in Asia and the MENA region in particular. The discussion forms a prelude for the individual contributions of this special issue. Design/methodology/approach – The papers cover a variety of different research methods and methodologies including both quantitative and qualitative approaches.Findings – Setting the stage for the selection of papers is a thought‐provoking introduction, followed by six papers that aim to provide insights into key issues by examining pertinent literature, addressing relevant research questions, and providing applied and theoretical outcomes relevant to both academics and practitioners in the event and festival fields. These papers cover the variety, scope and diversity of events in Asia and MENA region, with a mixture of papers that examine event‐specific aspects and those that approach the subject from a broader destination/policy perspective.Originality/value – The selection of papers are unique as they provide a thorough and extensive insight into the opportunities and challenges facing emergent festival and event destinations in Asia and the MENA region.