Residents’ Perceptions Regarding the Implementation of a Tourist Tax at a UNESCO World Heritage Site: A Cluster Analysis of Santiago de Compostela (Spain)

Jakson Renner Rodrigues Soares, Paula Remoaldo, André Riani Costa Perinotto, Larissa Paola Macedo Castro Gabriel, María Elvira Lezcano-González and María-Dolores Sánchez-Fernández
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Jakson Renner Rodrigues Soares: Department of Business, University of A Coruña, 15001 A Coruña, Spain
Paula Remoaldo: Lab2PT and Department of Geography, Universidade do Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
André Riani Costa Perinotto: Master in Tourism Business Management, Universidade Estadual do Ceará, Fortaleza 60714-903, Brazil
Larissa Paola Macedo Castro Gabriel: Tourism, Economy and Sustainability Research Group, Universidade Estadual do Ceará, Fortaleza 60714-903, Brazil
María Elvira Lezcano-González: Department of Humanities, University of A Coruña, 15001 A Coruña, Spain
María-Dolores Sánchez-Fernández: Department of Business, University of A Coruña, 15001 A Coruña, Spain

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 2, 1-18

Abstract: Even though the residents’ perceptions on the tourist activity have been thoroughly investigated in the last three decades, there are still few similar studies on destinations that are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The research presented in this article assesses the perception of the residents of the municipality of Santiago de Compostela (Spain) regarding the implementation of a tourist tax. The study is based on 588 residents’ responses to a survey conducted through a questionnaire prepared by the authors. Owing to the exponential increase in the number of visitor arrivals to the city, the implementation of a tourist tax could be one of the strategies deployed to improve the tourist experience. It may also allow for a less negative interaction between residents and tourists. The analysis revealed the existence of three clusters: tax-skeptics, tax-enthusiasts, and tax-reactionaries. The results are consistent with the nature of a mature destination, with most respondents supporting the implementation of a tourist tax that could contribute to improving, amongst other things, the quality of the tourist destination for both visitors and residents.

Keywords: cluster analyses; overtourism; impacts of tourism; residents’ perceptions; UNESCO World Heritage Sites (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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