Does type of accommodation influence tourist behavior? Hotel accommodation vs. rural accommodation

Knowing how tourists behave in destinations is a key issue for successful marketing and management. Continuous changes in motivations of tourists highlight the necessity to understand visitors’ consumption patterns. The choices they make regarding the type of accommodation not only reflect tourists’ expectations, but also influence their behavior in the destination. This research aim is analyzing the possible differences in behavior between tourists depending on their preferred accommodation. The study was carried out in the province of Jaén, an emerging destination in southern Spain. A semi-structured survey was conducted with 430 visitors obtaining information that highlights, among other issues, the interest expressed by rural accommodation users in natural environments, along with more evenly disbursed spending patterns across the territory.