A choice experiment economic valuation of cultural heritage tourism ecosystems

Economic valuation studies of non-market goods in culture and tourism have a long and recognised track record. Many studies focus on evaluating well-defined examples such as monuments, institutions or events, leaving the valuation of cultural heritage tourism ecosystems as an important and less explored challenge. This work addresses the evaluation of a cultural tourist ensemble in which factors such as the natural landscape, elements of tangible historical heritage and intangible technological knowledge are integrated, all referring to a specific territorial demarcation, which acts as a driver of tourist appeal. Choice experiment methodology is applied to obtain the value allocated to different attributes of the ensemble by various groups of visitors, according to their origin or type of stay: first, local, national and foreign visitors; and second, the canonical distinction between excursionists and tourists. In general, locals report a greater contribution to preserve cultural expressions while nationals and foreigners do so for tourism services. Tourists report greater appreciation for cultural consumption while excursionists do so for drivers of cultural and territorial brand. Our approach and results can provide a better basis to implement strategies of management and preservation of cultural ecosystems as niches for tourism activity and economic impact.