Abstract
Spatial patterns are a key topic in tourism analysis due to their important implications for improving the management and planning of tourism development. The aim of this chapter is to contribute to the explanation of such patterns by focusing on a case study of Spanish package tourists in India, essentially a cultural tourism market. After depicting the characteristics of Spanish tourism demand in the destination and the resulting highly concentrated flow patterns, the authors identify four categories of tour portfolio determinants: demand and destination characteristics, and inbound and outbound tour operators' strategies, in which the most important are a limited number of characteristic traits of the potential market. At the same time, future tour diversification is greatly constrained by the dearth of tourism facilities and current high returns for local operators. These circumstances have led to a situation of retro-alimentation in the form of a vicious circle, which hampers tourism development in the country. Some keys to breaking this vicious circle in the realms of government policy, product planning and development and promotion are also identified. © 2008 Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Cultural Resources for Tourism: Patterns, Processes and Policies |
| Pages | 79-92 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Apr 2008 |