A review of the literature shows that the relationship between satisfaction and tourism expenditure, as well as the dependence among different tourist expenditure categories, are under-researched topics. The aim of this study is twofold: first, to investigate the influence on tourism expenditure of tourists' satisfaction with the destination, correcting for the effect of some socio-demographic and trip-related variables; second, to study the dependence among tourist expenditure on the different tourist categories that create the overall expenditure for the trip. This study focuses on an analysis of the expenditure behaviour of a sample of international visitors who travelled in an area around the Dolomites in Northern Italy, adopting the doublehurdle model with the Heien and Wessells estimator. In discussing the results, policy implications and managerial issues for tourism destinations are presented.

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This study investigates aspects of host perception for the formulation of strategic tourism policies. A community segmentation framework with cluster analysis and multinomial logit model was applied to data of a mountain community in northern Italy to reveal the heterogeneity of residents' perception. The results of this study refl ect the overall opinions of the sample population and identify homogeneous opinion groups. Positive and negative perceptions about tourism in the region generate a division of residents in environmental supporters, development supporters, protectionist and ambivalent. This study identifi es the effect of demographic variation on the clusters and on residents' attitudes towards tourism.

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This paper examines the determinants of visitors' expenditure behaviour at cultural events. The authors analyse visitors' expenditure at the micro-level, dividing it into expenditure on accommodation and expenditure on food and beverages. The explicative variables taken into account are socio-demographic, economic, psychological and trip-related attributes. An ad hoc survey was conducted on the three most famous Christmas markets in the north of Italy in December 2008 and 2009. To achieve their aims, the authors use the robust double-hurdle model. The results indicate that travel purpose, region of origin, perception of the event, length of stay and age are significant factors influencing both the propensity to spend and the amount of money actually spent during visits. The findings will provide destination managers and tourism businesses with practical knowledge useful for destination marketing, event development and customer service.