IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v12y2020i21p8846-d434297.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Understanding the Tourists’ Perspective of Sustainability in Cultural Tourist Destinations

Author

Listed:
  • Begüm Aydın

    (Institute of Environmental Sciences, Boğaziçi University, Hisar Kampüs, Bebek, 34342 Istanbul, Turkey)

  • Maria D. Alvarez

    (Department of Tourism Administration, Boğaziçi University, Hisar Kampüs, Bebek, 34342 Istanbul, Turkey)

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Begüm Aydın & Maria D. Alvarez, 2020. "Understanding the Tourists’ Perspective of Sustainability in Cultural Tourist Destinations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-17, October.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:21:p:8846-:d:434297
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/21/8846/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/21/8846/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hultman, Magnus & Kazeminia, Azadeh & Ghasemi, Vahid, 2015. "Intention to visit and willingness to pay premium for ecotourism: The impact of attitude, materialism, and motivation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 68(9), pages 1854-1861.
    2. Meleddu, Marta & Pulina, Manuela, 2016. "Evaluation of individuals’ intention to pay a premium price for ecotourism: An exploratory study," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 67-78.
    3. Yoonjeong Jeong & Seweryn Zielinski & Ji-soon Chang & Seong-il Kim, 2018. "Comparing Motivation-Based and Motivation-Attitude-Based Segmentation of Tourists Visiting Sensitive Destinations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-16, October.
    4. Carlos Jurado-Rivas & Marcelino Sánchez-Rivero, 2019. "Willingness to Pay for More Sustainable Tourism Destinations in World Heritage Cities: The Case of Caceres, Spain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-21, October.
    5. Gayoung Choi & Jongmin Kim & Made Yaya Sawitri & Sue Kyoung Lee, 2020. "Ecotourism Market Segmentation in Bali, Indonesia: Opportunities for Implementing REDD+," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(6), pages 1-15, June.
    6. Lorraine Nicholas & Brijesh Thapa, 2010. "Visitor perspectives on sustainable tourism development in the Pitons Management Area World Heritage Site, St. Lucia," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 12(5), pages 839-857, October.
    7. Mirela Elena Mazilu, 2012. "Sustainable Tourism of Destination, Imperative Triangle Among: Competitiveness, Effective Management and Proper Financing," Chapters, in: Chaouki Ghenai (ed.), Sustainable Development - Policy and Urban Development - Tourism, Life Science, Management and Environment, IntechOpen.
    8. Hany Kim & Hyo Jae Joun & Yeongbae Choe & Ashley Schroeder, 2019. "How Can a Destination Better Manage Its Offering to Visitors? Observing Visitor Experiences via Online Reviews," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(17), pages 1-19, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. William Quezado de F. Cavalcante & Arnaldo Coelho & Cristela Maia Bairrada, 2021. "Sustainability and Tourism Marketing: A Bibliometric Analysis of Publications between 1997 and 2020 Using VOSviewer Software," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-21, April.
    2. Arthur Filipe de Araújo & Maria Isabel Andrés Marques & Maria Teresa Ribeiro Candeias & Armando Luís Vieira, 2022. "Willingness to Pay for Sustainable Destinations: A Structural Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-18, February.
    3. Rumin Zheng & Shuo Zhen & Lin Mei & Hongqiang Jiang, 2021. "Ecotourism Practices in Potatso National Park from the Perspective of Tourists: Assessment and Developing Contradictions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-14, November.
    4. Yuetao Yang & Gowhar Ahmad Wani & V. Nagaraj & Mohammad Haseeb & Sameer Sultan & Md. Emran Hossain & Mustafa Kamal & Syed Mehmood Raza Shah, 2023. "Progress in Sustainable Tourism Research: An Analysis of the Comprehensive Literature and Future Research Directions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-15, February.
    5. Dariusz Jacek Olszewski-Strzyżowski, 2022. "Promotional Activities of Selected National Tourism Organizations (NTOs) in the Light of Sustainable Tourism (Including Sustainable Transport)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-18, February.
    6. Anna Adamus-Matuszyńska & Piotr Dzik & Jerzy Michnik & Grzegorz Polok, 2021. "Visual Component of Destination Brands as a Tool for Communicating Sustainable Tourism Offers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-17, January.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mauricio Carvache-Franco & Conrado Carrascosa-López & Wilmer Carvache-Franco, 2022. "Market Segmentation by Motivations in Ecotourism: Application in the Posets-Maladeta Natural Park, Spain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-18, April.
    2. Arthur Filipe de Araújo & Maria Isabel Andrés Marques & Maria Teresa Ribeiro Candeias & Armando Luís Vieira, 2022. "Willingness to Pay for Sustainable Destinations: A Structural Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-18, February.
    3. Veenarat Ut-tha & Pai-Po Lee & Rebecca Chung, 2021. "Willingness to Pay for Sustainable Coffee: A Case of Thai Consumers," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(4), pages 21582440211, October.
    4. Carlos Jurado-Rivas & Marcelino Sánchez-Rivero, 2019. "Willingness to Pay for More Sustainable Tourism Destinations in World Heritage Cities: The Case of Caceres, Spain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-21, October.
    5. Riyan Mohammed Sahahiri & Amy L. Griffin & Qian (Chayn) Sun, 2023. "Investigating Ecotourism Opportunities Measurements in a Complex Adaptive System: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-20, February.
    6. Mauricio Carvache-Franco & Wilmer Carvache-Franco & Ana Gabriela Víquez-Paniagua & Orly Carvache-Franco & Allan Pérez-Orozco, 2021. "The Role of Motivations in the Segmentation of Ecotourism Destinations: A Study from Costa Rica," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-18, September.
    7. Mauricio Carvache-Franco & Marival Segarra-Oña & Conrado Carrascosa-López, 2019. "Segmentation by Motivation in Ecotourism: Application to Protected Areas in Guayas, Ecuador," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-19, January.
    8. Kumju Hwang & Jieun Lee, 2018. "Antecedents and Consequences of Ecotourism Behavior: Independent and Interdependent Self-Construals, Ecological Belief, Willingness to Pay for Ecotourism Services and Satisfaction with Life," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-18, March.
    9. Conrado Carrascosa-López & Mauricio Carvache-Franco & José Mondéjar-Jiménez & Wilmer Carvache-Franco, 2021. "Understanding Motivations and Segmentation in Ecotourism Destinations. Application to Natural Parks in Spanish Mediterranean Area," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-16, April.
    10. Fielding, David & Knowles, Stephen & Robertson, Kirsten, 2018. "Alcohol, generosity and empathy," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 28-39.
    11. Krzysztof BORODAKO & Jadwiga BERBEKA & Michał RUDNICKI & Mariusz ŠAPCZYŃSKI, 2021. "Online Visibility and Knowledge-Intensive Business Services Performance: The Scope of Interrelatedness," Journal of Emerging Trends in Marketing and Management, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, vol. 1(1), pages 157-173, August.
    12. Thomas Bausch & Tilman Schröder & Verena Tauber & Bernard Lane, 2021. "Sustainable Tourism: The Elephant in the Room," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-19, July.
    13. Lan Anh Nguyen & Manh-Hung Nguyen & Viet-Ngu Hoang & Arnaud Reynaud & Michel Simioni & Clevo Wilson, 2024. "Tourists’ preferences and willingness to pay for protecting a World Heritage site from coastal erosion in Vietnam," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(11), pages 27607-27628, November.
    14. Kazeminia, Azadeh & Hultman, Magnus & Mostaghel, Rana, 2016. "Why pay more for sustainable services? The case of ecotourism," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(11), pages 4992-4997.
    15. Sukuryadi & Nuddin Harahab & Mimit Primyastanto & Bambang Semedi, 2021. "Collaborative-based mangrove ecosystem management model for the development of marine ecotourism in Lembar Bay, Lombok, Indonesia," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(5), pages 6838-6868, May.
    16. Afzaal Ali & Guo Xiaoling & Adnan Ali & Mehkar Sherwani & Farhan Muhammad Muneeb, 2019. "Customer motivations for sustainable consumption: Investigating the drivers of purchase behavior for a green‐luxury car," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(5), pages 833-846, July.
    17. Jamie M. Chen & Junzhou Zhang & Peter Nijkamp, 2016. "A regional analysis of willingness-to-pay in Asian cruise markets," Tourism Economics, , vol. 22(4), pages 809-824, August.
    18. Viglia, Giampaolo & Abrate, Graziano, 2017. "When distinction does not pay off - Investigating the determinants of European agritourism prices," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 45-52.
    19. Aikaterini Koumoutsea & Paraskevi Boufounou & George Mergos, 2023. "Evaluating the Creative Economy Applying the Contingent Valuation Method: A Case Study on the Greek Cultural Heritage Festival," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(23), pages 1-19, November.
    20. Amélie Guèvremont & Bianca Grohmann, 2018. "Does brand authenticity alleviate the effect of brand scandals?," Journal of Brand Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 25(4), pages 322-336, July.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:21:p:8846-:d:434297. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.