Profiling Visitors to Romanian Ecotourism Destinations

Cristinel Constantin, Vasile Papuc-Damașcan, Andrei Blumer, Ruxandra-Gabriela Albu, Titus Suciu, Adina Nicoleta Candrea and Ana Ispas ()
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Vasile Papuc-Damașcan: Association of Ecotourism in Romania, 500051 Brașov, Romania
Andrei Blumer: Association of Ecotourism in Romania, 500051 Brașov, Romania
Ruxandra-Gabriela Albu: Faculty of Economic Sciences and Business Administration, Transilvania University of Brașov, 500036 Brașov, Romania
Titus Suciu: Faculty of Economic Sciences and Business Administration, Transilvania University of Brașov, 500036 Brașov, Romania
Adina Nicoleta Candrea: Faculty of Economic Sciences and Business Administration, Transilvania University of Brașov, 500036 Brașov, Romania

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 5, 1-16

Abstract: Visitors’ increasing interest in nature-based and cultural tourism, especially in the context of ecotourism destinations, has generated a heated debate in tourism literature. Some authors consider that ecotourism should be approached through a niche strategy rather than through mass marketing. Therefore, identifying the main characteristics of visitors to ecotourism destinations is very important in setting management and marketing strategies adapted to their specific needs. The present paper aims to identify the profile of visitors to Romanian ecotourism destinations, considering the ecotourism potential of this country and the scarcity of empirical studies on these types of destinations. To reach this aim, a survey was conducted in four Romanian ecotourism destinations. By computing the data collected from a sample of 1157 visitors, four visitor segments have been identified based on a single characteristic (visit purpose). Crosstabulation and Chi-square analysis were used in order to identify the profiles of these segments. The results reveal that most of respondents are nature travellers, followed by culture travellers. The findings may be used by ecotourism destination managers in order to target specific market segments and establish proper management and marketing strategies.

Keywords: ecotourism destination; visitor segmentation; visitor profile; nature traveller; culture traveller; leisure traveller; eclectic traveller; sustainable development; marketing and management strategies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:5:p:2958-:d:513379

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