The Economic Impact of Cultural Tourism: Exploring Tourist Spending and Motivation

Abstract

The paper investigates the economic impact of "La Notte della Taranta" festival by analyzing the expenditure patterns of over 20,000 attendees across sixteen festival editions (2007-2024). It uncovers that tourists' motivation significantly influences expenditure, with those partially motivated spending more compared to both non-motivated and highly motivated visitors. The research also reveals that the relationship between the motivation of tourists and their spending patterns is affected by various tourist traits, such as being a first-time visitor, their instantaneous social capital, and their geographical origin.

Keywords: economic impact, cultural event, tourist expenditure, tourist motivation

JEL Classification: O12, L83, R11, Z10, Z32