Volume: 1  Number: 2  Page: 81–99  doi:10.2167/jht010.0

Motive-Based Tourist Market Segmentation: An Application to Native American Cultural Heritage Sites in Arizona, USA

Gyan P. Nyaupane, Dave D. White and Megha Budruk School of Community Resources and Development, Arizona State University, 411 N. Central Ave, Ste 550, Phoenix, AZ 85004-0690, USA

This paper utilises a motive-based segmentation to understand tourists to cultural heritage sites in Arizona, USA. The data for this study were collected through mail survey from a representative sample of 671 tourists to three Native American cultural heritage sites. Using cluster analysis based upon motives for cultural history learning, three distinct segments were found: (1) ‘culture-focused,’ (2) ‘culture-attentive’ and (3) ‘culture-appreciative’ tourists. These groups differed significantly in terms of behaviour, experience and interpretation. The culture-focused segments spent longer at the sites, stayed more nights away from home, considered visiting archeological sites as their primary activity, and placed more importance on interpretation. In addition, the culture-focused groups were more satisfied with their trip, appreciated the preservation of archeological resources and reported more learning experiences. Overall, the study supports the notion that heterogeneity exists within cultural heritage tourist markets. Implications of these findings in conceptualisation, management and marketing cultural heritage tourism are discussed.

Keywords: market segmentation, Native American sites, National Park Service, cultural heritage tourism, cultural heritage management, motivation

© 2006 G.P. Nyaupane et al.

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