Exploring tourists' cultural experiences in Naples through online reviews

Purpose This study analyses online reviews to explore the experiences of tourists related to cultural attractions. Furthermore, the study identifies similarities and differences between cultural attractions, and identifies tourists' preferences. Design/methodology/approach Content analysis and principal component analysis are applied to 12,592 online reviews, in Italian, posted on TripAdvisor by tourists who visited 58 cultural attractions of Naples (Italy) between 2011 and 2014. Findings Findings reveal five critical components of tourists' experience related to cultural attractions: wonder, authenticity, relaxation, discovery, and knowledge. Findings show that tourists can interpret cultural attractions in different ways. Research limitations/implications Research limitations are related to the geographical context and to the database, which presents a strong standardisation of evaluations, almost never negative. Furthermore, the analysis is limited to online reviews written in Italian language. Future studies will be dedicated to explore reviews in other languages and on other cultural destinations. Practical implications The study draws managerial implications at the local and general level. Locally, findings provide suggestions and practical implications to support the tourism policies and marketing of Naples. At the general level, the paper provides implications for DMOs and policy makers to strengthen the attractiveness of cultural attractions, develop destination marketing strategies, and offer more satisfying cultural experiences. Originality/value This is one of the first studies that uses online reviews to explore the experiences of tourists who visit cultural attractions. Keywords Online reviews, cultural attractions, tourists' experience, Naples Paper type Research paper