The changing market for heritage tourism: A case study of visits to historic houses in England

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Abstract
Recognising the broad appeal, to both governments and visitors, of heritage tourism, this paper discusses the key management trends and indices associated with a particular segment of this market, concerning historic houses open to the public. While supporting the established orthodoxy that admission numbers are largely insensitive to increases in admission charges, certainly in the short term, the paper notes that wider structural changes in the market may undermine its long term stability. Set against a background of increasing competition for visitors, the paper concludes that house operators can no longer assume that annual increases in admissions charges alone will necessarily increase net income. Yet they do not, generally, possess the skills, either in market research or the presentation of their attraction, to confront and manage change. Drawing on examples of the use and application of information technology in promoting a stronger customer orientation, the paper argues that all heritage attraction operators are faced with the need to become more innovative in their policies on marketing, pricing and interpretation, reflecting a growing imperative to understand the dynamics of their existing and potential markets.