Premium
Tourists' space–time behavior in heritage places: Comparing guided and nonguided visitors
Author(s) -
Galí Nuria,
Aulet Silvia
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
international journal of tourism research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.155
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1522-1970
pISSN - 1099-2340
DOI - 10.1002/jtr.2270
Subject(s) - tourism , space (punctuation) , advertising , global positioning system , tracking (education) , geography , heritage tourism , psychology , computer science , business , tourism geography , telecommunications , pedagogy , archaeology , operating system
This paper analyzes guided tourists' space–time behavior in heritage sites and compares the results with the behavior of nonguided tourists. Data from 127 guided visitors from 127 different local tours and 1,242 nonguided tourists visiting the historic town city of Girona (Spain) were gathered from participant observation, GPS tracking, and questionnaires. Findings demonstrate that guided tourists have a more qualitative experience (less walking time, more time spent visiting monuments, more information, and sometimes privileged information) than have nonguided tourists. Despite this, results also suggest that tourists who take guided tours, and those who do not, show a very similar behavior pattern.