The Tour-Operators’ Role in the Process of Creating and Promoting Cultural Tourism Products—An Empirical Study

Abstract

Nowadays, the tourism industry faces multiple challenges generated by the sudden changes in the marketing environment. The challenges of the international geo-political environment, the terrorist threats, the climate changes, the unprecedented technological development, and the transformations in consumer behavior patterns strongly influence the evolution of tourism activity. The suppliers of tourism services and products must face these challenges, create and distribute tourism products that can meet the needs of today’s tourists in an adequate manner. The paper presents the means through which the tourism organizations can closely cooperate with the suppliers of cultural attractions, create, and sell attractive tourism packages. Cultural tourism products can set off tourists’ interest and curiosity, and can both educate and satisfy the tourists’ needs for personal fulfillment from a cultural and spiritual point of view. Subsequently, the paper includes a quantitative analysis revealing youngsters opinions on the attractiveness of tourism products based on cultural elements.