Domestic demand for tourism in rural areas: Insights from summer stays in three French regions

François Bel, Anne Lacroix, Sandrine Lyser, Tina Rambonilaza () and Nadine Turpin

MPRA Paper from University Library of Munich, Germany

Abstract: Tourism has the potential to make a major contribution to the development of rural areas. However, empirical evidence suggests that its economic impact is limited, because rural visitors are thought to engage in few recreational activities and are seen as low spenders. This study gives new insights into the domestic demand in areas of France described as “rural”, with data extracted from the national database provided by the French “tourism demand survey”. The results of the “activity-based segmentation” of visitors' stays in three rural regions show that during the summer season, visits to friends or relatives, which involve little expenditure and no specific activities, continue to take place. However, more expensive stays are the most common. They involve activities aimed at experiencing the outdoors or enjoying local sights, based on natural and cultural amenities that are mainly located in regional natural parks. The main forms of accommodation are campsites and rural cottages. Gastronomic tourism has also emerged as an activity that attracts higher spending visitors. These findings are discussed in relation to the results of segmentation studies in other European countries. Their academic and management implications also are presented.

Keywords: domestic tourism; France; rural destinations; activity-based segmentation; amenities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L83 Q26 R12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ger, nep-tur and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Domestic demand for tourism in rural areas: Insights from summer stays in three French regions (2015)
Working Paper: Domestic demand for tourism in rural areas: insights from summer stays in three French regions (2015)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pra:mprapa:66255

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