The attractiveness of the UNESCO cultural heritage: from the perspective of tour operators
Based on the assumption that the UNESCO brand attracts more visitors to the destination, this thesis investigates the online use of the UNESCO Brand by the official site managers, of WHS and ICH places in Portugal. Furthermore, considering that travel agencies and tour operators play a significant r...
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| Tipo de recurso: | tesis doctoral |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2023 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universidad de Sevilla (US) |
| Repositorio: | idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:idus.us.es:11441/155692 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/11441/155692 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | UNESCO Brand WHS ICH Attractiveness Tour Operators Experience Marca UNESCO Atractividad Tour Operadores Experiencia Atratividade Operadores Turísticos Experiência |
| Sumario: | Based on the assumption that the UNESCO brand attracts more visitors to the destination, this thesis investigates the online use of the UNESCO Brand by the official site managers, of WHS and ICH places in Portugal. Furthermore, considering that travel agencies and tour operators play a significant role in the tourism promotion, the present study sought to investigate whether there are variations in the level of attractiveness between UNESCO cultural intangible elements (ICH) and cultural properties (WHS), as perceived by tour operators. The main goal was to provide an understanding of the tour operators and travel agencies practices regarding the packaging of the WHS and the ICH elements, on travel programs. An exploratory study was carried out using the questionnaire as an instrument for primary data collection. Data was collected from a sample of 106 tour operators and travel agents, registered in Portugal. The SEM analysis confirmed that the tourist experience promoted by travel agents and tour operators on their cultural programs, which encompasses co-production, enabling engagement and allowing personalization, will influence positively the WHS and the ICH attractiveness. The study main findings indicate that, from the perspective of tour operators, regarding the tangible heritage (WHS), “Brand” contributes more than “Experience” to the attractiveness, while in the intangible heritage (ICH) “Experience” contributes more than “Brand” to the attractiveness. These findings provide valuable insights into the factors that contribute to the attractiveness of UNESCO cultural heritage, differentiating between tangible and intangible elements. Complementary a website content analyses was performed providing important insights for future, more comprehensive investigations into the promotion of UNESCO cultural heritage by municipalities. This work contributes to the literature on UNESCO's cultural heritage and its attractiveness and brings the novelty of simultaneously studying the attractiveness of tangible heritage (WHS) and intangible heritage (ICH), from the perspective of those who organize and market cultural tourism programs, the tour operators and travel agencies. Ultimately, the research results are expected to be of benefit to tour operator and travel agency professionals, and also to the decision-makers at a municipal level. Practical recommendations are drawn on the design and promotion of travel programs. Considering the limitations of this study, further research should focus on the marketing strategies employed by tour operators and travel agents in relation to UNESCO-listed cultural heritage, considering both the tangible and intangible aspects of attractiveness. |
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