The relationship between cultural tourist behaviour and destination sustainability

Abstract

Tourism based on cultural issues is growing fast in recent years. This type of tourism promotes the diversification of demand and supply at destinations, while keeping and valuing the local culture. Improving our knowledge on cultural tourism could help to foster the sustainability of destinations. Despite efforts devoted to define the “cultural tourist”, still little is known about her/his particular behaviour. The objective of this paper is twofold. First, identifying the profile of cultural tourists versus visitors not pursuing any cultural activity. Second, and building on econometric modelling, comparing the behaviour of these two groups in terms of factors influencing expenditure and trip satisfaction. All these findings are putted in context regarding the literature on tourism sustainability.