Abstract
Considering the tourists’ viewpoint when creating a sustainable destination is crucial since marketing may be the driving force behind many sustainability initiatives. However, most of the literature has followed a supply-based perspective, ignoring the way that tourists view sustainability attributes. Therefore, this research attempts to address this gap in the literature by analyzing tourists’ perceptions concerning sustainability attributes in tourist destinations. This research aims to determine which of these traits are seen as most important by the tourists and to ascertain their willingness to pay for these aspects. The study is quantitative, based on an online questionnaire administered to Turkish cultural tourists. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses are used to obtain insights into how tourists consider sustainability aspects in tourist destinations. Thus, this research concludes that tourists view sustainability from a more varied perspective than that embraced by the classic definition of the concept, which comprises economic, environmental and socio-cultural dimensions. The findings of the study also determine that tourists favor sustainability attributes that are instrumental in enhancing their own tourist experiences. This information may be useful for destinations, providing guidance about how to market sustainable tourist destinations and encourage responsible tourism choices.
Highlights
The rising trend towards buying and consuming more sustainable products is leading organizations to consider sustainability as a requisite to gain competitive advantage and to include the needs of future generations in their marketing strategies [1,2]
Font, Scarles, Weeden and Harrison [9] affirm that communicating sustainability to a potential customer should focus on those aspects of the sustainable destination that contribute to creating memorable tourism experiences
In line with the purpose of the study, the analyses that were carried out focused on understanding how important the various aspects of a sustainable destination are to cultural tourists, and how willing these tourists are to pay more for certain attributes of sustainability
Summary
The rising trend towards buying and consuming more sustainable products is leading organizations to consider sustainability as a requisite to gain competitive advantage and to include the needs of future generations in their marketing strategies [1,2]. The extent to which individuals consider sustainability attributes in their choices of destinations or the question of whether they are willing to pay for more sustainable destinations is not clear [6]. Emerging research, such as that of Tölkes [7], questions the way that sustainability is communicated to potential customers, and whether these individuals are able to distinguish and value sustainable tourism products. Font, Scarles, Weeden and Harrison [9] affirm that communicating sustainability to a potential customer should focus on those aspects of the sustainable destination that contribute to creating memorable tourism experiences
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