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Management of Cultural and Heritage Tourism and Its Sustainability

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Tourism, Culture, and Heritage".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 December 2021) | Viewed by 32226

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Miguel Jesús Medina-Viruel

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Guest Editor

Department of Statistics, Econometrics, Operational Research, Business Organization and Applied Economics, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain
Interests: tourism management; cultural, heritage and gastronomic tourism
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Jesús Claudio Pérez-Gálvez

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Guest Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The tourism sector has become an important source of wealth for those destinations with special attraction for visitors. Within this sector, destinations with relevant cultural, historical, and natural heritage are especially important. In this sense, the declaration of World Heritage Sites (WHS) by UNESCO is an important attraction for tourists. In addition, this declaration implies the obligation of protection and conservation so that future generations can enjoy these cultural and natural places. In this sense, the achievement of a respectful and sustainable tourism is one of the challenges to be achieved by the authorities responsible for tourism in these heritage destinations.

In this situation, there are several challenges for the tourism sector: positioning of the destination as a cultural or natural focus; knowledge of the type of tourist that visits the place with the objective of making an adequate adaptation of its tourism offer; conservation and sustainability of the heritage places; knowledge of the motivations of the trip; perceived value and image of the places; analysis of the experience of the travelers, and the degree of loyalty of the destination.

This Special Issue of Sustainability aims to become a forum where future research can focus on analyzing the state of the art findings and trends in tourism management research. Thus, academics and researchers whose field of study is tourism, cultural tourism, ecotourism, heritage conservation in a tourism environment, and sustainable tourism management at World Heritage Sites (WHS) are invited to present their latest research.

Prof. Dr. Miguel Jesús Medina-Viruel
Prof. Dr. Jesús Claudio Pérez-Gálvez
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

cultural tourism
ecotourism
heritage tourism
tourism management
tourist segmentation
travel motivation
analysis of the tourist offer
sustainability of tourism
World Heritage Sites (WHS)

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 3256 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Empirical Research on Transfer of Cultural Meaning from Commodity to Customer—A Case Study for Hotel Staying Experience

by Kuo-Jui Hu, Chia-Pin Chueh and Yuh-Shihng Chang

Sustainability 2022, 14(2), 1033; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14021033 - 17 Jan 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3940

Abstract

This purpose of this article is to explore the case for the integration of art, aesthetics, and the atmosphere of local life into hotel interior designs. We used statistical empirical methods to verify whether the transformation of cultural elements into tourism products can really bring tourists to feel cultural meaning. In this study, we use the “Movement of meaning” model proposed by McCracken as a validation of how consumers feel the effects of cultural learning through the consumption of hotel stays. This research focuses on the integration of local culture and hotel consumption in the part of cultural learning, and particularly on the second stage of the meaning trajectory: hotel tourists feel the cultural meaning transfer when they consume and stay. In order to objectively investigate the influence of cultural products on guest consumption experience, we asked more than 187 hotel guests for their data to understand their perceptions of artistic experience and cultural meaning through questionnaires. The contribution of our research is to provide a framework for testing the validity of cultural meanings transformed into commodity consumption for tourism. The value of this research lies in our empirical research on how people perceive the beauty of local culture, and how the combination of cultural elements and hotel design allows customers to experience the cultural meaning benefits. The quantitative verification method of this research for the “meaning movement” model can be used as an operational procedure for tourism relative research, especially for verifying the effectiveness of cultural meaning transmission by integrating culture into tourism products. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Management of Cultural and Heritage Tourism and Its Sustainability)

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18 pages, 1702 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Internal Demand of Cultural Tourism: Understanding Satisfaction and Fidelity to Destination in Spain through a Non-Linear Structural Model

by María-Dolores Sánchez-Sánchez, Carmen De Pablos-Heredero and José-Luis Montes-Botella

Sustainability 2021, 13(23), 13487; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132313487 - 6 Dec 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2578

Abstract

The new habits of tourist consumption favor the rise of cultural tourism, either as the primary or complementary offer of a destination. Therefore, it is necessary to deepen the study of the behavior of cultural tourism demand. This research aims to develop a structural model that allows measuring the main variables that affect the satisfaction and loyalty of the internal demand of the cultural tourist to a heritage destination. The results are helpful for the design of tourism management. The hypotheses posited have been tested using non-linear structural equations (SEM), estimated with data from the National Statistics Institute on internal demand for cultural tourism in Spain (n = 18,024). The results confirm the importance of socio-cultural variables and the tourist’s experience on fidelity to the visited destination. Furthermore, the negative relationship between the repetition of the visit and satisfaction is striking. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Management of Cultural and Heritage Tourism and Its Sustainability)

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16 pages, 952 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dissatisfaction Responses of Tourists in the Havana World Heritage Site

by Yen E. Lam-González, Richard Clouet, Niurka Cruz Sosa and Javier de León

Sustainability 2021, 13(19), 11015; https://doi.org/10.3390/su131911015 - 4 Oct 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2358

Abstract

This paper aims to assess the relationships between tourists’ negative evaluation of key management areas in the cultural city, their overall satisfaction and future intentions. More specifically, this paper proposes a covariance-based structural equations model (CB-SEM) to assess the influence of tourists’ dissatisfaction caused by failures in tourist and cultural services, hygiene and infrastructure on their overall satisfaction with the cultural trip and their intentions to repeat it. Using data collected from 1500 tourists visiting Old Havana on a cultural trip, this paper confirms that a negative opinion on the management of hygiene, cleanliness and crowding is dominant in explaining cultural tourists’ lower levels of satisfaction. In addition, this was found to be the only factor with a negative impact on tourists’ intentions to revisit the city in the future. The results are useful for helping managers of cultural destinations to distinguish the areas that are most relevant in their attempt to promote satisfaction and loyalty in the context of cultural tourism. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Management of Cultural and Heritage Tourism and Its Sustainability)

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17 pages, 334 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Gastronomic Experience: Motivation and Satisfaction of the Gastronomic Tourist—The Case of Puno City (Peru)

by Franklin Cordova-Buiza, Edwin Gabriel-Campos, Lucía Castaño-Prieto and Lucía García-García

Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 9170; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169170 - 16 Aug 2021

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 6587

Abstract

Gastronomy is a fundamental aspect of culture in daily life, through which tourists can discover the cultural heritage of the places they visit. Therefore, culinary pleasure is a decisive factor in choosing a travel destination; at the same time, it is essential for shaping tourists’ satisfaction regarding their travel experience. This research seeks to study the gastronomic experiences of foreign tourists visiting the city of Puno (Peru) during the celebration of the festival of the Virgen de la Calendaria, recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage event by UNESCO. The results of this research highlighted the existence of three groups of tourists (referred to as survivors, enjoyers and experiencers) based on their perceptions of gastronomic experiences in the city. We also concluded that there are significant differences in each of the groups in terms of their motivation for visiting the city, based on gastronomy. Finally, the results allow us to conclude that the levels of tourist satisfaction are different, depending on their attitude toward gastronomy, as classified by the groupings obtained. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Management of Cultural and Heritage Tourism and Its Sustainability)

16 pages, 1896 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of the Cultural Heritage Potential in Poland

by Karol Król

Sustainability 2021, 13(12), 6637; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13126637 - 10 Jun 2021

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4119

Abstract

Cultural heritage is a complex and multi-faceted concept, thus eluding a definition. Consequently, it is a daunting task to assess the cultural heritage potential of a country, region, or community unambiguously. The paper defines “cultural heritage potential” and presents an example of a synthetic assessment of the potential with Poland as an example. The assessment involved several normalised diagnostic variables grouped into four thematic fields. This way, cultural heritage potential could be represented by a “synthetic quality index”. The analysis yielded a ranked list of voivodeships (third-tier subdivision units) and their classification (typology) regarding cultural heritage potential. An in-depth analysis demonstrated that the cultural heritage potential rank of a voivodeship could be determined by values of selected diagnostic valuables, such as the number of heritage objects, number of food products of documented quality and particular cultural significance, and extensive cultural infrastructure. The typology can be a background for decision-making with the consequences of voivodeship classification depending on the context of a specific analysis. The proposed method for assessing cultural heritage potential is not related to the territorial extent of the area. Any quantifiable attribute of cultural heritage can be used in the assessment regardless of the unit of measure. Such an assessment can be useful for the identification of trouble areas, areas of concern, and model areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Management of Cultural and Heritage Tourism and Its Sustainability)

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17 pages, 447 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Study on the Influence of Cultural Contact and Tourism Memory on the Intention to Revisit: A Case Study of Cultural and Creative Districts

by Sizhen Lai, Shuning Zhang, Ling Zhang, Hsien-Wei Tseng and Yan-Chyuan Shiau

Sustainability 2021, 13(4), 2416; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13042416 - 23 Feb 2021

Cited by 33 | Viewed by 6129

Abstract

Cultural and creative tourism is emerging in tourism industry with the potential to be sustainable as an important carrier of traditional culture. This study adopts stimulus–response theory in a cultural integration perspective to investigate how tourists’ cultural memories, cultural contact, and attitude to culture affect their revisit intention. With the questionnaire survey responses from 651 tourists and structural equation modeling method, it was found that tourists’ cultural contact affected their revisit intentions directly and indirectly through cultural memory. Attitude to culture played critical moderating roles in the effects of tourists’ cultural contact on their cultural memory and revisit intention, but it had no significant impact on the relationship between tourists’ cultural memory and their revisit intention. This study indicates that cultural memory dominates tourists’ behavioral decisions, while attitude to culture highlights different effects at different influence paths. The findings provide marketers and managers with strategies for the sustainable development of cultural and creative districts. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Management of Cultural and Heritage Tourism and Its Sustainability)

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24 pages, 2153 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of Tourist Systems Predictive Models Applied to Growing Sun and Beach Tourist Destination

by Miguel Angel Ruiz Palacios, Cristiana Pereira Texeira de Oliveira, José Serrano González and Soledad Saénz Flores

Sustainability 2021, 13(2), 785; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13020785 - 15 Jan 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4282

Abstract

This study aims to present a new diagnosis model of Sun and beach destinations, we analyzed a set of explanatory theories about the tourism system, because current models do not reflect the real dynamics of an emerging tourist destination. We create a new predictive model so it served us to be used as a diagnostic method for the tourism system. Ancon district is a coastal town of Peru, it is the second-largest and oldest of Metropolitan Lima district. The study analyzed all tourist attractions and local resources including reserved zone Lomas de Ancón, with 10,962 hectares. It used a qualitative method and its design is grounded theory and phenomenological. The research covers the period from May 2018 to March 2019, where it was possible to appreciate the high tourist demand and wild flora and fauna of the Lomas de Ancón in its two seasons: winter season (2018) and summer 2019 (dry season). The study concludes that the new analysis model allows us identifying and understanding the dynamic and potential of sun and beach tourist destinations in the growth phase. The Ancón district has resources and attractions that would allow it to develop new tourist products and diversify the local tourist offer. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Management of Cultural and Heritage Tourism and Its Sustainability)

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