Developing a Typology of Heritage Site Visitors: A Consumer Styles Inventory Approach

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine the behaviour of heritage site visitors using a consumer decision-making styles framework and to identify different groups of visitors based on their behavioural patterns and criteria when selecting a heritage site. To investigate the behaviour of heritage site visitors and identify different groups, an empirical research was conducted. Data were collected from 332 respondents and analysed using descriptive statistics, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, and k-means cluster analysis. The current study found that seven out of eight consumer decision-making styles related to visiting heritage sites were identified. In addition, k-means cluster analysis revealed that respondents could be classified into three clusters based on their consumer decision-making styles. These findings have important implications for the marketing strategies of heritage sites. At the end of the paper, implications are discussed and recommendations for future research are suggested.