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Tourism sustainability in archaeological sites

Maria Francisca Blasco López (Marketing Department, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain)
Nuria Recuero Virto (Marketing Department, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain)
Joaquin Aldas Manzano (Universitat de Valencia, Valencia, Spain)
Jesús Garcia-Madariaga (Marketing Department, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain)

Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development

ISSN: 2044-1266

Article publication date: 5 February 2018

Issue publication date: 10 August 2018

652

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine a model for developing sustainable tourism in archaeological sites. A qualitative and quantitative approach has been assumed in order to test a model of market orientation, where 11 experts were interviewed and 122 employees of archaeological sites answered the e-questionnaire.

Design/methodology/approach

Partial least squares path modelling regression was employed to examine the measurement and structural model.

Findings

The findings have revealed that market orientation and innovativeness positively and significantly influence tourism sustainability, measured in economic and social terms. Besides, tourist functionality has been determined as an antecedent of market orientation.

Research limitations/implications

This study is limited by the sample sizes of both researches. The model has second order constructs (market orientation, innovativeness and tourism sustainability) that include related concepts to increase parsimony and understand relations with other variables. As a result, separate effects of these dimensions have not been measured, which could report interesting findings in future-related studies.

Practical implications

The results suggest useful insights for managers to improve social and economic sustainability in archaeological sites. Innovativeness affects tourism sustainability, which reinforces the idea that offering technological and organisational innovations improve economic and social sustainability. Besides, it has been proved that market orientation is a necessary precondition to guarantee social and economic sustainability.

Originality/value

This paper assists scholars and practitioners by shedding light on the comprehension of tourism sustainability.

Keywords

Citation

Blasco López, M.F., Recuero Virto, N., Aldas Manzano, J. and Garcia-Madariaga, J. (2018), "Tourism sustainability in archaeological sites", Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development, Vol. 8 No. 3, pp. 276-292. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCHMSD-09-2016-0051

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited

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