Expenditure and stay behaviour of nature-based visitors: the case of Costa Rica

Resumen

This chapter explores the expenditure and stay behaviour of tourists, and the capacity of these two variables in improving the sustainability of a nature-based destination such as Costa Rica. Two equations explaining the expenditure and stay patterns of international tourists arriving in Costa Rica are estimated. In particular, the study tests for the role played by time and budget restrictions, socio-economic features of visitors, destination characteristics and previous knowledge of the country. All these findings help to improve the knowledge on visitors' behaviour arriving in a nature-based tourist location, obtaining interesting conclusions to improve the management of the destination on a sustainable basis.