West Kootenay residents were asked to share their views on Shambhala Music Festival through an anonymous, online survey last month.
Festival organizers received 90 completed surveys. Of those, 80 per cent reported having a positive perception of the annual festival.
Survey questions focused on Shambhala’s impact on neighbouring communities and what the festival could do to improve its image.
“It was great to hear the community is willing to work with us closer on a tourism and destination management platform,” executive producer Corrine Zawaduk said in a news release. “It sounds like many businesses and organizations want to develop better partnerships, but there is still a segment of the population that thinks ‘something should be done about Shambhala.’”
Shambhala has made some big donations in Nelson and Salmo over the years, including sponsoring the Shambhala Music Hall at Selkirk College with a $75,000 contribution. It has also given $5,000 to the Salmo Youth Centre and $2,800 to the Salmo farmer’s market.
Shambhala is now in the process of developing a strategic plan to guide future growth of the festival.
Shambhala 2013 will run August 7-12 at Salmo River Ranch. Tickets are on sale at shambhalamusicfestival.com.