Modeling tourist itineraries in heritage cities. Routes around the Old District of Girona

Abstract

Tourists do not follow random behavior in heritage cities, but they are consciously or unconsciously guided by socially constructed itineraries. This article studies the shaping of these itineraries in a heritage city (Girona), using the direct observation methodology during the visit (following the tourists from a prudent distance and gathering all the information about their visits) and the conventional ques-tionnaire at the end of the visit. It also establishes which the sociodemographic, environmental and in-formative factors are that explain this behavior. The simultaneous use of the observation method and a questionnaire was found to be a useful technique for analyzing tourists’ behavior and the factors that explain this behavior.

Keywords

• Heritage cities
• Tourist’s behavior
• Tracking tourists
• Direct observation
• Urban routes