Analysis of the cultural motivation behind visits to World Heritage Sites: Case study of the Medina Azahara Archaeological Ensemble

Knowledge of the typology of visitors to a site inscribed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO is key to the proper management of tourist destinations. This research presents a segmentation of tourists visiting the Archaeological Ensemble of Medina Azahara in Cordoba (Spain), inscribed as a World Heritage Site since 2018, based on the results obtained after fieldwork consisting of a survey to visitors of the Archaeological Ensemble of Medina Azahara, between the months of February and June 2022, obtaining 684 valid surveys. The results are in line with previous research, distinguishing five different motivational dimensions. It is concluded that visitors with a higher cultural and hedonic motivation have a higher satisfaction. The results of the research will be very useful for tourism managers to create products tailored to potential customers.