Cultural tourism market: a perspective paper

Purpose This paper aims to discuss the evolution of the cultural tourism market and what its future may be. Design/methodology/approach Instead of seeing the cultural tourism market as homogeneous, a segmentation model was developed based on the centrality of culture in the overall decision to travel and the depth of experience sought. Findings The model verified five segments, including: the purposeful cultural tourist, the sightseeing cultural tourist, the serendipitous cultural tourist, the casual cultural tourist and the incidental cultural tourist. Originality/value This framework has transformed how we think about cultural tourists, as it provides a better understanding of the differences in behavior and preferences for certain types of experiences. It is also a tool to develop more effective marketing communication strategies and serves as the basis to evaluate the market significance of this activity.