Visitor Profile Research Articles

Who Buys the Amsterdam Dance Event?

The purpose of the research was to examine the profile of the national Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) visitor. It explored the demographic profile, the buying behavior, the communication activity, and the motivators behind visiting ADE. A quantitative methodology was employed using a convenience sampling method. The research applied an online survey and research literature methodology. Dutch ADE visitors received an active link to the online survey. It was designed in https://surveyplanet. com and distributed via Facebook. The researchers set a 95% confidence level and a margin of error of 10%. Thus, the sample size was calculated as 96 respondents out of 285,000 Dutch ADE visitors for 2016. A total number of 104 (male n = 53, female n = 51) fully completed surveys were returned. Overall, the profile of the ADE visitors of ADE were young people (aged 22–29), predominantly single or in a relationship who attended ADE more than once. They were active communicators on social media before, during, and after the ADE. The ADE visitors' main reasons to attend the festival were the opportunities to experience electronic music in the company of friends, to meet like-minded people, and express themselves. They were primarily students or working people with a medium level of disposable income. They were price sensitive both on tickets and on-site spending. The primary limitation researchers faced was the lack of funding. It affected the research strategy, access to up-to-date industry reports, and the representativeness of the research. However, the study is the first to try to explore the buyer person of the Amsterdam Dance Event.

Design tourist planning in Colombian lagged destination: Case study Bahía Solano

This article aims to the emergency of tourism activities linked with a landscape in a lagged west area of Colombia, concretely at the town of Bahía Solano. The main objective is to describe values in the qualitative explorative case study for proposing the tourism management process to the whole organization of activities in the lagged area as Bahía Solano. In spite of isolation and lack of connectivity, spontaneous market mechanism and flow of visitors contributed to a continuous development of economic activities that steam deep changes in local life. In consideration of initial conditions of the town, our approach poses interesting challenges here exposed. Firstly, we inquire about the possible effects of tourism on lagged places with qualitative exploratory study and we built profiles of local and foreign visitors interpreting their features and their expectation about this kind of destination. This contribution results the design tourism process planning as an opportunity to implement to the Pacific Ocean destination of Bahía Solano and will be used in the municipality as a part of the next step for the municipality tourism plan.

A profile of visitors to Brazil Amazon Protected Areas:

The purpose of this study was to develop a profile of visitors at two touristic settings and protected areas in the Brazilian Amazon Basin: Tapajós National Forest (Pará) and Anavilhanas National Park (Amazonas). An onsite survey was conducted across the two areas. The total of number of usable data points from the two areas of study used in this paper is 2512 surveys (1255 at Tapajós and 1257 at Anavilhanas). The data collected offers an important source of information for managers so that they may better understand the recreational needs and current capacity for use at both protected areas. One of the aims of this study was to gather data to understand the current flow of visitors in the Amazon by focusing on their specific characteristics. This type of information is crucial for managing public use and developing tourism in protected areas. The project team is grateful to the US Forest Service—International Programs (USFS—IP), US Agency for International Development (USAID), and the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) who made this study possible. The authors are also grateful to the Instituto Chico Mendes (ICMBio), Tapajós National Forest, Anavilhanas National Park team and local community members who have collected data and supported this research.

Festival loyalty to a South African literary arts festival: action speaks louder than words!

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to fill the gap in the literature by focusing on the profile and loyalty of visitors to a literary arts festival in South Africa. In addition, this research advocates that festivals can influence visitors’ supplementary behavioural intentions and actions beyond loyalty in the form of literary arts appreciation, purchases and tourism. Design/methodology/approach A visitor survey was conducted at one of the oldest literary arts festivals in the country where a total of 391 completed self-administered questionnaires were obtained. The statistical analyses comprised three factor analyses (motives to attend the festival, satisfaction with the festival offering elements and behavioural intentions) as well as structural equation modelling, to establish the relationship between the motives, evaluation of the “festivalscapes”, behavioural intentions and loyalty. Findings The findings confirmed that literary arts festival loyalty is the principle behavioural intention that will occur after attending a literary arts festival. However, the results demonstrated that literary arts festivals also have the potential to increase and stimulate supplementary behavioural intentions in the form of greater awareness of the arts, increased purchasing behaviour of literary works, increased travel to support the literary arts and greater personal involvement. Practical implications Festivals, irrespective of the art form that they showcase, therefore, play a significant role in encouraging and increasing purchasing behaviour, which is vital to the viability and continuation of the arts industry. Originality/value This is one of the first studies to research the literary arts festival market in South Africa, thereby making a distinct contribution by expanding the literature on the needs of this neglected market and the aspects that influence loyalty to these types of festivals.

Visitors to Greek Thermal and Seaside Spas (Mid-19th Century–Early 20th Century)

Thermal tourism is considered the first form of tourism in the 19th-century Greek state. At that time, patients decided to travel to Greek thermal baths to seek therapy and pain relief. The first thermal spas in Greece can be considered ‘latecomers,’ because they began to develop after their counterparts in other areas of Europe, and they had few and limited facilities. However, in the mid-19th century, the urban space of Greek thermal spas and seaside resorts began to transform architecturally due to measures taken according to state policy and the increasing number of visitors. In this paper, I will attempt to study the architectural transformation of Greek spas and the profile of visitors and patients in the two phases of their development. My research is based on 19th-century primary sources (laws and doctrines, patient registries, medical reports, advertisements, postcards, novels and memoirs). I will assert that in the first stage of their development (1833–1890) Greek resorts had minimal accommodation and leisure facilities. Their clientele consisted of patients and travellers from nearby locations who encountered the lack of proper medical care and accommodation establishments. In their next phase (1890–1930), the urban space of Greek spas was transformed to cater to the needs of a different clientele. Visitors to Greek spas were patients and holidaymakers who usually travelled with other family members. The square and the promenade of thermal spas and seaside resorts became centres of urban sociability. They stayed at luxury hotels, and they enjoyed the sociability of modern facilities (restaurants, theatres, and casinos).

Can Tourist Attractions Boost Other Activities Around? A Data Analysis through Social Networks.

Promoting a tourist destination requires uncovering travel patterns and destination choices, identifying the profile of visitors and analyzing attitudes and preferences of visitors for the city. To this end, tourism-related data are an invaluable asset to understand tourism behaviour, obtain statistical records and support decision-making for business around tourism. In this work, we study the behaviour of tourists visiting top attractions of a city in relation to the tourist influx to restaurants around the attractions. We propose to undertake this analysis by retrieving information posted by visitors in a social network and using an open access map service to locate the tweets in a influence area of the city. Additionally, we present a pattern recognition based technique to differentiate visitors and locals from the collected data from the social network. We apply our study to the city of Valencia in Spain and Berlin in Germany. The results show that, while in Valencia the most frequented restaurants are located near top attractions of the city, in Berlin, it is usually the case that the most visited restaurants are far away from the relevant attractions of the city. The conclusions from this study can be very insightful for destination marketers.

Residents versus visitors at light festivals in cities: the case of Barcelona

ABSTRACTIn recent decades, cities around the world have created light events in order to improve their competitive position and make themselves more attractive to tourists. The relative novelty of these events means that the academic literature has not yet developed a corpus of knowledge outlining the visitor profile and behaviour characteristics. Thus, a study of the Barcelona event ‘Llum BCN’ was conducted in order to characterise the demand and detect possible differences in demand behaviour according to whether the attendees are residents or visitors. Comparisons between residents and visitors show that residents are more highly motivated to attend the event than visitors. On the other hand, residents show higher levels of satisfaction in variables related to the type of illumination during the event, particularly innovative design elements.

Nature-based Tourism or Mass Tourism in Nature? Segmentation of Mountain Protected Area Visitors Using Self-Organizing Maps (SOM)

Mountain protected areas play a fundamental role in the conservation of natural environment and at the same time provide the population with social benefits such as offering space for leisure and recreation. Understanding motivations and behavior of protected area visitors is crucial to effectively manage vulnerable areas. Our objective was to identify the profiles of visitors to a heavily used tourist destination—Kasprowy Wierch within the Tatra National Park (Poland), using the self-organizing maps (SOM) analytical method. In order to explore the socio-demographic and behavioral characteristics of the visitors a total sample of 2488 respondents were interviewed on site. Self-organizing map analysis is based on cerebral processes for managing and storing information in order to classify subjects and/or find relationships among variables. As a result, four heterogeneous tourist profiles were identified. Interestingly, two of these groups (Cluster 1 and Cluster 3), which were found to be the most challenging groups for management purposes, visited the national park for reasons other than its natural attractions. Especially, one sub-segment of Cluster 3 was mainly motivated by the possibility to use a cable car, admiring views and stayed within close proximity of the upper cable car station. Less than a half of visitors to Kasprowy Wierch (42%) were seeking a nature experience during their trip (Cluster 2 and Cluster 4). The results bring a new point of view in the discussion on visitor management within Kasprowy Wierch region, in particular by overlapping presented visitor segmentation with trip types and/or purchased cable car tickets. Within international context, we highlight the SOM technique as a valuable tool in profiling of tourists and underline the problem of the existence of mass tourism destinations within protected areas.

Ecological ideals, sustainable tourism and the heritage concept of an eco-village: the case of Arcosanti, USA

ABSTRACTArcosanti in Arizona, USA, is a yet-to-be completed ecological settlement which reflects the major ideas of Paolo Soleri, an Italian architect and philosopher, on an alternative type of city. Based on field research using interviews, participatory observation and the survey method it examines the relationship between tourism and eco-settlements, using Arcosanti as a case study, in order to discuss current approaches to sustainable tourism and to examine visitor profiles, perceptions, and attitudes. The data indicates that ecological settlements such as Arcosanti can be an attractive tourist destination and it is clear that although Arcosanti had started life as an urban experiment based on ecological and alternative ideas, today it is a place that attracts many visitors. Regardless of whether Arcosanti can be categorized as an eco-village or eco-city, its valuable attractiveness results from Paolo Soleri and his tangible/intangible heritage that contributes an income via sustainable tourism. The study concludes that Arcosanti is an excellent case which offers the promise that ecological settlements can have significant potential for sustainable tourism.

Impactos do uso público em unidades de conservação: produção científica no Rio de Janeiro

A significativa importância das Unidades de Conservação (UCs) para o meio ambiente está intrinsicamente associada ao seu papel relevante como instrumento de aplicação de políticas públicas ambientais que permite a gestão e o manejo de áreas protegidas, priorizando a preservação de seus recursos naturais, biodiversidade e belezas cênicas. O uso público de UCs está relacionado com a ocorrência de atividades de lazer, recreativas, esportivas, turísticas, educativas, científicas, de interpretação ambiental, que caracterizam a visitação pública de unidades e representam a interação da sociedade urbana com a natureza e com os princípios de preservacionismo. Contudo, o uso público de UCs quando mal planejado e com fiscalização ineficiente pode ser a origem de impactos negativos que afetam os ecossistemas das áreas destinadas à preservação. O objetivo deste trabalho consiste em apresentar um estudo no qual se investigou a produção científica referente aos impactos de uso público em UCs do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. Para tal realizou-se um levantamento dos trabalhos contidos nos anais dos eventos Encontro Fluminense – Uso Público de Unidades de Conservação, promovido pela UFF e o Simpósio de Gestão Ambiental e Biodiversidade, realizado pela UFRRJ, referentes as edições do período de 2012 a 2017. Esta pesquisa focou-se na investigação de impactos de natureza negativa ocorridos em tais áreas. Os critérios seletivos para a escolha dos trabalhos contaram com a identificação de termos específicos presentes nos títulos e empregados como palavras-chave além da leitura dos resumos. A metodologia aplicada neste estudo foi a pesquisa e análise documental. Os dados coletados foram analisados quantitativa e qualitativamente e categorizados quanto a sua abordagem do tema impactos de uso público. Em meios aos anais dos eventos, foram encontrado o total de 21 trabalhos enquadrados nos critérios de seleção definidos para busca de documentos associados a temática central. Os resultados obtidos apontam a ampla abrangência referente ao uso público em UCs que viabiliza a produção de diversos tipos de pesquisas contemplando temas variados como avaliação de impactos de uso público, identificação e mapeamento dos tipos de uso e cobertura do solo, definição de perfil de visitante das unidades, programas de Educação Ambiental, entre outras temáticas, que apesar propor objetos de estudos distintos fazem grande contribuição ao propósito da conservação do meio ambiente associado a implementação da Unidades de Conservação.

The cultural route of Hercules: mapping the tourist's perspective

This study explores the interest of potential visitors to participate in a proposed cultural route, themed after the Labors of Hercules in the Peloponnese. The main objectives of this study are to outline the demographic profile of potential visitors of the route and to explore appropriate means of organisation and promotion to ensure its success. To achieve these objectives, we conducted a field survey, distributing a questionnaire, from which 519 valid responses were collected. The survey results showed that there is strong interest for participation in the proposed route. In terms of demographics, most interest was expressed by highly educated women of all age groups. Survey participants expressed a strong desire for guided tours, and interest in modern services provided at waypoints. Finally, we concluded that the most feasible way to promote the route should not be limited to its cultural content, but should also emphasise the natural beauty and alternative tourism activities that it offers. The managerial implications of the present study could be useful for tourist operators, professionals and destination management organisations who may be interested in implementing this proposed route or any other cultural routes in the future.

The cultural route of Hercules: mapping the tourist's perspective

This study explores the interest of potential visitors to participate in a proposed cultural route, themed after the Labors of Hercules in the Peloponnese. The main objectives of this study are to outline the demographic profile of potential visitors of the route and to explore appropriate means of organization and promotion to ensure its success. To achieve these objectives, we conducted a field survey, distributing a questionnaire, from which 519 valid responses were collected. The survey results showed that there is strong interest for participation in the proposed route. In terms of demographics, most interest was expressed by highly educated women of all age groups. Survey participants expressed a strong desire for guided tours, and interest in modern services provided at waypoints. Finally, we concluded that the most feasible way to promote the route should not be limited to its cultural content, but should also emphasize the natural beauty and alternative tourism activities that it offers. The managerial implications of the present study could be useful for tourist operators, professionals and destination management organizations who may be interested in implementing this proposed route or any other cultural routes in the future.

Examining the Visitor Profile and Event Characteristics of a Festival

Festivals and special events serve as important attractors for destinations and provide unique experiences for visitors. The purpose of the study examined the visitor profile and event characteristics of the 2015 Louisiana Seafood Festival. Food and beverage and music were the top rated aspects of the festival most important to the attendee. Results showed that the festival made a valuable contribution by attracting nearly 56,000 attendees. The visitor profile provided valuable information on visitor characteristics, event characteristics, and visitor spending. The event organizers can use the visitor profile for marketing and advertising efforts to attract more patrons to the festival.

Value-Based Profiles of Visitors to a World Heritage Site: The Case of Suwon Hwaseong Fortress (in South Korea)

The aim of this study is to evaluate the place value of Suwon Hwaseong Fortress in Korea, a mountain fortress located in natural resources with UNESCO World Heritage Site status, in order to classify visitors according to place value and to establish marketing strategies based on the characteristics of each profile. In particular, for sustainable cultural heritage development, visitors were asked to evaluate the place value of the site from various perspectives, through a presentation of government policies and business based on both the world heritage value and the inherent attractiveness of the site. Utilizing a person-centered approach, a latent profile analysis (LPA) was applied to a sample of visitors to Hwaseong Fortress (N = 656), with visitors classified by place value into four profiles: Outing Seekers (OS), Tourism Seekers (TS), Heritage Seekers (HS), and Serious Travel Seekers (SS). These profiles differed in relation to distance from the study setting from travelers’ residence, recognition of the fortress as a World Heritage site, and the degree to which the World Heritage site status influenced the decision to visit. The profiles also showed differences in visit satisfaction and intent to revisit. This study contributes a better understanding of visitors’ evaluated value of heritage sites and corresponding behaviors, in order to provide sustainable management for the heritage tourism market.

Visitor profiling at the Museum of Human Evolution of Burgos (Spain)

This paper presents the first study ever conducted on the profile of visitors to the Museum of Human Evolution of Burgos (Spain), which exhibits the finds of the Atapuerca archaeo-paleontological sites. The research was guided by the principles of public communication of science and the methodology of the studies on museum visitors. The analysis reveals a positive perception; the Museum is associated with the sites and they are valued as cultural heritage. Complaints are very limited but useful to produce a set of recommendations to further improve the exhibition. In addition, the findings are placed in the context of similar research carried out at other museums in Spain.

Using the Network and MCA on Tourist Attractions. The Case of Aeolian Islands, Italy

This study highlights the preferences and motivations of tourists for the choice of destinations to visit. Natural, cultural, gastronomic attractions, places of consumption, and identity/immaterial motivations are examined through social network analysis and validated through the multiple correspondence analysis (MCA). The study explores the relational variables that can explain the attractiveness of the places and the propensity to visit them. To identify the visitor profiles and the reasons behind their choices, a sample survey was carried out in Lipari, in the Aeolian Islands, interviewing tourists, residents, and people present on the island for work reasons. From the results obtained, profiles emerged with very different characteristics. They vary among those who are attentive to the identity and sustainability of the territory and appreciate the beauty of the sea to others who are attracted mainly for places of consumption and gastronomy, and finally, to people who are indifferent to the attractiveness of the place. This study contributes to the knowledge of the tourist understanding of fragile places with a strong tourist attraction and provides indications for better use of the resources present, oriented towards eco-sustainable hospitality systems and the environment. The study discusses the implications of its findings for future research and provides insights for planning tourism services.

A whale of a time! An experience-based typology of visitors to a South African whale-watching festival

This research segments whale watchers in South Africa according to the factors regarded as important for a memorable experience by these natural event viewers. The segmentation gives an ACC-typology of viewers, namely abundant experience seekers, convenience experience seekers and comprehensive experience seekers. The results show that such segmentation is a useful research tool for producing a clear visitor profile, enabling us to provide strategic insights into managing the whale viewing experience, as well as similar natural events, according to the preferences of specific market segments. The findings, however, shows that the Hermanus Whale Festival has to revise the current management and marketing strategy to emphasise the natural phenomenon of the whale migration as the primary festival attraction and the ‘festivalscape’ elements surrounding entertainment as ancillary to the visitor experience. This management approach is recommended to these types of festivals that are organised around natural events, as it is vital that these events remain true to their initial objective of educating visitors about the natural phenomenon and the conservation thereof.

Disparities in Tourism Demand of UNESCO Destinations

This paper clarifies disparities in tourism demand of some chosen UNESCO destinations in the Czech Republic, which is located in Central Europe. The Czech Republic, despite its relatively small area, is an important destination for cultural tourism ? a large number of unique cultural and other historic monuments are located on its territory. Twelve of those historic monuments are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, including the Czech capital, the city of Prague. As capitals are usually very different from the regions as far as tourism demand is concerned, another separate study area was chosen for this case ? the Vysocina Region located in the middle of the Czech Republic. This region has the most UNESCO World Heritage Sites of all the Czech regions ? there are three of them there: Telc, Trebic and Zelena hora in Ždar nad Sazavou. Within the framework of developing a new regional tourism strategy and at the request of the Regional Authority of the Vysocina Region, an extensive marketing survey among visitors to the region was carried out. This research was done by the College of Polytechnics Jihlava in 2014-2015 and within it, various characteristics of tourism demand in all three UNESCO destinations were gathered. The research provided background information for creating visitor profiles of the destinations. Primary data obtained from the questionnaire survey enabled, after being processed by various mathematical and statistical methods, a comparative analysis of the chosen UNESCO destinations in Central Europe in terms of tourism demand. Its results show, e.g. that all surveyed destinations attract mainly one-day visitors, but not all of them regard a visit to unique cultural heritage sites of those destinations as their main reason for travelling there. The research results show not only new visitor profiles of the UNESCO destinations in the smallest statistical unit (the municipality), but they can also be used by destination management for planning customised tourism development strategies. Moreover, the study gives a comprehensive picture of tourism demand, which is important for the regional policy. Finally, the paper can be used as a case study for sustainable development of tourism in other UNESCO destinations.

A typology of memorable experience at Nelson Mandela heritage sites

ABSTRACTThis study examines cultural heritage tourism by identifying and segmenting heritage site visitors according to the aspects they define as necessary for a memorable heritage site experience. The research focusses on visitors to Nelson Mandela Heritage Sites and emphasises that the links between the attributes of a site and the visitors themselves are essential to understanding tourists’ willingness to pay to visit the mentioned sites. A typology of visitors that the authors labelled ‘auxiliary experience seekers, convenience experience seekers and comprehensive experience seekers’ (ACC) was used. The results revealed comprehensive experience seekers as the most critical market segment regarding the much significantly higher amount they are willing to pay when visiting Nelson Mandela Heritage Sites. This leads to a better understanding of aspects contributing towards a memorable heritage site experience as well as to visitors’ willingness to pay for such experiences. This study also provides further insight into cultural heritage tourism in general. Moreover, such segmentation was found as a useful research tool for producing a distinct visitor profile as well as how a memorable experiencing can be generated by suggesting diversified pricing at such sites.

Recreational value of El Valle and Carrascoy Natural Park

ABSTRACTIn this paper, an estimate of recreational value of El Valle and Carrascoy Natural Park is obtained by applying individual travel cost method. A consumer surplus or benefit of one visit (of one person) to this natural park has been estimated in 5.09 euros. This figure can provide information to stakeholders in order to determine recreational investments and to get a proper environment management and sustainable use of this place. As the model shows, people react to travel cost, and so, an entrance fee would reduce the number of visits in case of overcrowding. Nonetheless, given the profile of visitor, signalling and information about a proper use from an environmental point of view would be a socially preferable policy.