Cultural Sites and Monuments: Travelers Choosing Bucket-List Destinations Over Fame

Bucket lists are more likely to play a part in travelers’ decision making to visit a cultural site or monument than fame, new Arival research has found

Dramatic Change in Monument and Cultural Site Visit Planning Arival Ben Finch
Reading Time: 1 minutes 38 seconds

Brought to you by Go City

Operator Takeaways:

  • Two in five travelers will visit a cultural site or monument because they have always wanted to
  • Traditional channels, such as recommendations from friends and family are of more importance
  • Price has become more important for travelers when making decisions

Travelers are less interested in visiting famous cultural sites or monuments than before the pandemic, new Arival research has found.

Those surveyed say that they are more likely to go to sites that they have always wanted to visit than they were in 2019.

Only 37% of travelers surveyed said they wanted to visit a monument because it was famous, with 41% saying they would visit because they had always wanted to go.

This is a decrease of 15% when compared to 2019 for famous cultural sites, and an increase of 8% for bucket-list attractions.

Why Become an Arival Insider Pro Access Member?

20% discount on Arival In-person events

Access to the Arival Research Library including new research and reports

Free access to all Arival 360 Online events

Over 350+ on-demand videos featuring our industry’s thought leaders and instructional sessions to grow your business.

Free consulting seminar on optimizing Google’s Things to Do

More …

Sign Up

Arival’s new report from the Traveler Path to Purchase Series, Cultural Sites & Monuments, examines how travelers’ attitudes have changed during the pandemic.

The also presents actionable recommendations for cultural sites and monument operators to consider as travel continues its recovery.

Visitors are also basing more of their decisions on where to visit based on traditional channels, such as recommendations from friends and family, and on what they read in guide books, magazines, and newspapers.

Price has become a more important factor, doubling from 12% of respondents in 2019 to 24% in 2021.

There has been little change in preference on location or whether a site is easy to get to.

Arival surveyed 1,000 U.S. “active travelers” on their travel intentions for the next 12 months.

Active travelers are adults aged 18 years or over who have taken at least one trip 100 miles from home with an overnight stay since January 2019.

They have engaged in a qualified tour, activity or attraction. They also have planned or intend to travel between July 2021 and June 2022.

Arival fielded the study in June 2021 and weighted for gender and age.

The report was carried in association with the multi-attraction pass provider, GoCity.

GET ON THE LIST!

Sign up to receive insights tailored for the in-destination industry as well as updates on Arival.

Sign Up
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

trending

already a member?

Lost your password?

NEED TO REGISTER?

Become an Arival Insider
THE ARIVAL INSIDER PRO ACCESS MEMBERSHIP; YOU GET ALL THIS TO HELP YOU ADVANCE YOUR BUSINESS.

Included in Free Membership

Included in Arival Pro Membership

The Arival on-demand video library archive
Access to the entire library of over 150 video sessions and webinars

Arival.guides
Short, digestible research & trends reports delivering insights into our industry, such as The Tour Operator Outlook for 2021.

Arival.travel articles
Topical articles about marketing, tech, operator business and operator stories in all areas of tours, activities & attractions & experiences

Job board access
Find a job from our regular listings, post a resume to the talent network and learn strategies from the job resources articles

New webinars
Helpful, instructional sessions covering subjects such as Mastering Facebook Ads, Grow Your Business and How To Work With OTAs — topics to help advance your business.

Discounts on all Arival in-person events
20% Discount on all Arival in-person events (save up to $300)* based on business type

Arival ProShield – Insurance program
Access to tailored insurance solutions by Granite Insurance is available exclusively for Arival Insider Pro Access Members. Insider Pro Access Members also have access to a suite of resources from Granite Insurance including templates, forms and other informative documents.

Insiders Pro Access member exclusive webinars
Paid membership-only webinars to deepen your understanding of important industry topics.

Job postings & talent directory
Post jobs & connect with candidates most applicable to your business.

Private roundtables to connect, learn and engage
Small, focused and intimate discussions exclusive to Arival Insider Pro Access members.

Full access to Arival’s library of in-depth reports
Up to date, deep analysis of tourism topics ranging from Self-guided Tours to Sales & Distribution Trends and Outlooks, based on the data that defines the industry.

The latest on-demand videos
Over 350+ on-demand videos featuring hot topics in tours, activities & attractions

Insider discounts in digital marketing, tech, e-learning, and more
Save money on additional tools, services and learnings you need to run your business. Exclusive to paid members.

Membership Overview
ARIVAL CODE OF CONDUCT​
CONFERENCES AND COMMUNITY SPACES​

At Arival, we believe travel can make the world a better place. Our mission is to establish and inspire a diverse community of individuals and companies in the In-destination Industry by providing opportunities to gain insight, share knowledge and build connections. To make it possible for true collaboration, creativity, innovation, and idea exchange to thrive, we are committed to facilitating a welcoming and respectful community for all. This Conference Code of Conduct shares our community expectations and applies to all attendees, employees, exhibitors, speakers, sponsors, volunteers, and other participants at Arival- produced and sponsored events. We empower all participants in our community to actively engage in creating a friendly, inclusive and safe environment for all.

Arival’s core values include the following, and create an expectation for conduct at our events and in online community spaces:

We demonstrate a deep respect for human beings inside and outside our company and for the communities in which they live.
We value integrity and strive to consistently interact with others in ways that are authentic, ethical, and fair.
We are dedicated to transparency, committing to clear, open and honest communication.
We actively pursue and advocate for inclusion, diversity and representation of varying cultural backgrounds, perspectives and ideas

Arival welcomes people from all cultural backgrounds, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, gender (including pregnancy, perceived pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), gender identity, religion (including religious dress and grooming), marital status, domestic partner status, genetic information, age, national origin or ancestry, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, or any other basis protected by federal, state, or local laws.

Accordingly, participants must refrain from displaying any demeaning, harassing, aggressive, or intimidating behavior or materials that would interfere with others’ experience and participation in our community.

If you witness or are subjected to inappropriate or disruptive behavior or have any other concerns, notify an Arival staff member as soon as possible.

Inappropriate or disruptive behavior will not be tolerated. Arival reserves the right to refuse entry to or remove any party from any event or community space at any time when participation or behavior create a disruption or hinder the event or enjoyment of the event by other participants. All determinations are at the sole discretion of Arival, and the decision of the Arival team will be final. Severe breaches of this Conference Code of Conduct may result in disqualification from participating in future events. Individuals expelled due to violating this Conference Code of Conduct will not be eligible for a refund or other consolation.

If you have questions regarding this Conference Code of Conduct or its implementation, please contact us at [email protected].