Explaining tourism expenditure based on trip characteristics in emerging urban-cultural destinations

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine, through a microeconomic analysis, the extent to which trip characteristics influence tourism expenditure in 14 emerging urban-cultural cities in Andalusia (Spain). Design/methodology/approach This analysis was carried out using an ordinary least squares method, which measures influence on tourism expenditure based on the trip characteristics of tourists visiting emerging urban-cultural cities. For this, the authors used 3,030 surveys conducted on tourists who, in 2013, visited 14 emerging urban-cultural cities in Andalusia (Spain). Findings It was confirmed that certain trip characteristics – type of accommodation, length of stay, trip planning and internet use – determine tourism expenditure in these destinations. The findings provide stakeholders in these destinations with information for the implementation of policies aiming to increase revenue in destinations where tourism development levels are still in their infancy and where, therefore, there are many unexploited opportunities. Originality/value First, this study identifies those trip characteristics which influence tourist expenditure in emerging urban tourist destinations. These destinations, to date, had not been previously analysed in expenditure segmentation studies. Second, aside from the factors traditionally analysed in scientific literature, other trip-specific variables were considered; these relate to the means by which tourists familiarise themselves with their destination and the way in which they plan their trip (use of the internet), as the rise of new technologies has radically changed tourism.

Measuring the effects of tourists’ relative willingness to spend and third-degree price discrimination on inbound tourism expenditure differentials

“…More recently, psychographic attributes as in Dolnicar et al (2008), Marrocu et al (2015), Cardenas-Garcia et al (2016), Disegna and Osti (2016), Dragouni et al (2016), as well as cultural and environmental dimensions such as in Amelung and Moreno (2012), Gholipour and Tajaddini (2014), Jin and Wang (2016), Pulido-Fernández et al (2017) and Olya and Mehran (2017) have gained more attention.…”

Determinants of tourists' length of stay in cultural destination: one-night vs longer stays

“…Considering the differences noted in the above-mentioned literature among visitor types and geographical areas, it is crucial to shed more light on the travel behavior of tourists visiting cultural destinations. In fact, tourists' LOS determinants in this type of destinations could vary from factors described in more established destinations (Pulido-Fernandez et al , 2017). Thus, it is necessary to determine the factors influencing tourists' LOS and to take them into account for effective destination planning and management of tourism policies (Rodríguez et al , 2018).…”

Determinants of the Likelihood of Tourist Spending in Cultural Micro-Destinations: Type, Timing, and Distance of the Activity as Predictors

“…Tourism-activity type was determined using a binary variable, where “1” represented cultural activities and “0” indicated non-cultural activities (Pulido-Fernández et al, 2017).…”