How cultural tourists consume a destination

The previous chapters discussed how tourism works and why people travel. We then identified five cultural tourism market segments, ranging from the incidental cultural tourist through to the purposeful cultural tourist and the role of gatekeepers. This chapter examines how cultural tourists ‘consume’ a destination, by examining the conditions that affect what people do, where they go and how they behave. ‘Consumption’ in this instance refers to ‘the process that tourism consumers choose and purchase tourism products to meet the needs of tourism pleasure and other experiences’ ( Li and Cao 2022 : 1). Remember, products and experiences are consumed on site ( Sharpley 2002 ), which means the management of places must always be cognizant of the needs of local communities.