Cultural Tourism and Its Potential Audience

Although it’s hard to define the concept of cultural tourism, it generally refers to tourists traveling to cultural attractions to escape from their residence, with the intention to satisfy their cultural needs. According to the industry standard, cultural tourism mainly includes the following types: heritage tourism, cultural thematic routes, cultural city tourism, culture tours, traditions, ethnic tourism, event and festival tourism, religious tourism, pilgrimage routes, creative culture, creative tourism.

Cultural tourism is a huge opportunity for industry insiders to boost their tourism products. According to the American Society of Travel Agents, roughly 80% of the 150,000,000+ adults who travel more than fifty miles from their homes can be considered as “cultural tourists.” When deciding the destination for the trip, 30% of adults will take specific arts, cultural events or historical sites into consideration. Travelers, particularly affluent, active, and frequent travelers, are showing more interests in cultural tourism than ever before.

The review of the scientific literature in search of information about the tourist profile, seeking for the cultural tourism product can be summarized in the following several key features:

We have conducted a thorough research on tourists who are most attracted by cultural tourism. Below are basic profiles of these tourists:

1.    A higher level of education

2.    Strong solvency and therefore tend to spend more

3.    Longer stay in the visited destination

4.    Elderly (over 48 years ) tourists

5.    Attempt to communicate with the local residents

6.    Better understanding of cultures, traditions, customs, etc.

7.    Pay other short-time trips in the region around the destination

8.    Positive perceptions about different cultures with different motivations, interests and attitudes.

Cultural tourism is evolving, as cultural tourism itself is a creative force. Tourists do not just consume culture, in the meanwhile they can also create new culture. In some cases, this can be negative for local culture. But in other case it can lead to new and positive phenomena, including new creative activities and organizations, new insights and new forms of intercultural dialogues. The point is to make use of the creative potential of cultural tourism not just for the tourists, but also for benefiting local communities.