Managing tourist motivations, attribute valuation and satisfaction in world heritage cities

Purpose This paper presents an analysis of tourists’ motivations, their cognitive image and the satisfaction they take away as a result of a trip to the city of Naples (Italy), as well as the possibilities of revisiting the destination and recommending it. Design/methodology/approach To achieve this research objective, a comparative analysis was carried out between Italian tourists and tourists from other countries. Findings The results highlight the presence of different types of motivations for tourists’ destination selection, as well as a positive relationship between these motivations and the tourist’s image of the city after visiting with the satisfaction of the trip. Originality/value There also appears to be a direct relationship between trip satisfaction and the possibility of a future return to the city, as well as recommending the destination. Finally, the results highlight the differences between domestic and foreign tourists.