What is a Cultural Tourist? Who is a Cultural Tourist?

There is an increasing recognition of the importance §of culture for tourist motivation, behaviour and §experiences. Estimates vary according to §definitions, but statistics indicate the potential §significance of cultural tourism in the world §market. The overall purpose of this PhD dissertation §was to understand the behaviour and the experience §of tourists visiting cultural sites and attractions §during holidays. This study identified heterogeneity §among tourists visiting cultural and heritage sites §in The Netherlands, and found significant §differences between groups in terms of time spent at §cultural heritage sites and the importance of §cultural elements during a holiday. Five types of §cultural tourists were identified, ranging from §those for whom culture plays no role and thus spent §various hours at cultural sites, to those who were §highly motivated to travel for cultural reasons and §spent also various hours at cultural sites and §attractions. This study also reveals that the main §key and the primary element is families and §friends as the basis for the experience of cultural §and heritage sites.