Art-based religious tourism after the pandemic: innovations in sustainable tourism or return to precrisis business models?

Abstract

ABSTRACT This research investigates whether and how the supply of and demand for art-based religious tourism changed after the pandemic. We examine the effects of the pandemic on the business models of Italian Fabbricerie. The analysis investigates whether the pandemic has impacted visitor flows in quantitative (e.g. the number of visitors) and qualitative terms (e.g. the type of visitors) and the emergence of new market segments. We examine whether the restrictions due to the health emergency and the resources supporting the cultural sector have changed these organizations’ cost and revenue structure and generated new costs or revenues. Finally, we focus on the strategies implemented to unveil whether cultural offerings changed and to understand the role of new digital tools or communication channels in responses to the pandemic. Our results thus contribute a better understanding of cultural organizations’ business models and the pandemic’s impact on the value they generate for visitors and other stakeholders.