Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Tourism Management and Hospitality
Year: 2024
DOI:
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The Interaction Between Overnight Tourism and Cultural Heritage Visitors in Tuscany’s Local Communities
Francesco Viviani, Sabrina Iommi
ABSTRACT:
This study investigates the relationship between overnight tourists and cultural heritage visitors in Tuscany on a sub-regional scale. Cultural heritage represents one of the primary attractions for tourism in Tuscany, generating employment and income opportunities, but it also poses challenges in areas with high demand pressure and seasonal concentration. Examining the interaction between these two visitor types—overnight tourists and cultural heritage visitors— highlights how cultural offerings, including heritage sites and events, can help better distribute tourism flows across the Tuscan region. Specifically, the study employs a Spatial Autoregressive (SAR) model to evaluate the impact of cultural heritage on tourist presences, in addition to a Gini index analysis to examine the distribution of tourist stays across different areas. A detailed municipal-level analysis also incorporates Tripadvisor data for the “Museo Leonardiano” in the municipality of Vinci, showing how this data source can offer valuable insights for suggesting ways to distribute visitor flows across the region. Findings confirm the correlation between the number of overnight tourists and cultural site visitors, with some differences depending on destination type and visitor nationality. Art cities attract high levels of both tourists and cultural visits, while coastal areas experience high numbers of tourist stays but fewer cultural visits. Foreign tourists, traveling from farther distances, are more likely to stay overnight, whereas Italians, living closer, tend to make day trips. This relationship is analyzed at various territorial levels, from regional to municipal, underscoring the role of both tangible and intangible cultural offerings (such as heritage sites and events) in attracting and sustainably managing tourism flows within Tuscany’s unique and widely distributed cultural landscape.
keywords: Spatial Data, SAR Models, Tourism Management, Tourist Flows