Motivational analysis of tourists who visit a city with inscriptions World Heritage Site, Granada, Spain

In recent times, it has been noticed that cultural tourism attracts millions of people. One interesting aspect is the analysis of WHS (World Heritage Site) destinations or cultural destinations that have an inscription WHS. This research has the goal of analysing the different groups of tourists who visit a cultural destination with an inscription WHS, specifically the city of Granada (Spain). For this, segmentation was performed, studying the socio-demographic profile of the tourists and their assessment of the attributes of this destination. For the tourist segmentation, two models have been followed. Four different groups of tourists were found: alternative, cultural, emotional and heritage. In this last one, the relationship between curiosity about the culture of the tourist destination and the heritage visited has a determining role. This study makes an important contribution to the literature regarding the links between the tourist and the historic and monumental heritage they visit and their tourist behaviour

Relevance of Gastronomy in the Tourism of a World Heritage Site: The Case of Sucre (Bolivia)

Recently, gastronomy has become one of the most important tourist attractions for cities as well as for rural areas. In this respect, tourists look for authenticity in the gastronomy heritage of these destinations, making it, thusly, a motivation for visiting the place. This research presents a segmentation of the tourists who visit Sucre (Bolivia), on the basis of a higher or lower interest in the gastronomy of the city. The results extracted from the research highlight the existence of three tourist segments with different attitudes regarding gastronomic experiences. Additionally, it notes the importance that a specific type of tourist places on discovering and better understanding the gastronomy of a city as part of its cultural heritage

Satisfaction and loyalty in musical festivals. Study based on the level of jazz musical knowledge

[ES] El principal objetivo de esta investigación es la realización de una segmentación, en base a los conocimientos musicales de los distintos géneros del Jazz, de los asistentes al festival de Jazz QurtubaJazz de Córdoba (España). Asimismo, se analizan, sobre la base de dicha segmentación, las motivaciones, la satisfacción y la lealtad de los asistentes al evento, La metodología utilizada en esta investigación se ha basado en la utilización de diversas técnicas multivariables y en la aplicación de los estadísticos H de Kruskal-Wallis y U de Mann-Whitney. Entre las conclusiones más significativas del estudio, destaca la existencia de patrones diferentes respecto a la satisfacción y a la lealtad según los conocimientos de los asistentes sobre los distintos géneros del Jazz. En este aspecto cabe destacar, como carácter diferenciador, el importante papel de las motivaciones de índole más cultural. La principal aplicación práctica de esta investigación consiste en conocer la motivación que lleva a los espectadores a asistir a los festivales de tipo musical, especialmente a los festivales de Jazz. Asimismo, esta investigación contribuye a tener un mayor conocimiento sobre los aspectos que aportan una mayor satisfacción a los asistentes y que puede servir como base a las entidades organizadoras para mejorar los aspectos menos valorados por el público asistente.[EN] The main objective of this research is the segmentation, based on the musical knowledge of the different genres of Jazz, to the Jazz QurtubaJazz Festival of Córdoba (Spain). Likewise, the motivations, satisfaction and loyalty of festival attendees are analysed, verifying the existence or not of statistical differences between the resulting segments. To achieve these objects, the methodology consisted of the use of several multivariable techniques and the application of the Kruskal-Wallis H and Mann-Whitney U statistics. Among the most significant conclusions of the research stands out the existence of different patterns regarding satisfaction and loyalty according to the knowledge of the attendees about the different genres of Jazz. In this aspect it is important to highlight the important role of cultural motivations as a differentiating character. The main practical application of this research is to know the motivation that leads people to attend music-type festivals, especially Jazz festivals. In addition, this study contributes to have a greater knowledge about the aspects that bring greater satisfaction to the attendees and can serve as a base to organisers to improve the aspects less valued by the attending public.Los autores de este artículo quisieran agradecer la colaboración de la Delegación de Cultura del Ayuntamiento de Córdoba por su ayuda en la realización de esta investigación. Gracias

Categorization of the heritage tourist. The case of Granada (Spain)

Las razones variadas por las cuales un individuo toma la decisión de viajar o hacer turismo desencadenan la necesidad de conocer y profundizar en las características de los diferentes tipos de turistas, con preponderancia en países y ciudades cuya economía se dinamiza gracias a este sector de la economía. Desde esta perspectiva, la investigación se planteó, como objetivo principal, la identificación de los turistas en ciudades con inscripciones de Patrimonio de la Humanidad, en concreto se centra en la ciudad de Granada (España). Asimismo, se indaga en las características del viaje, estudiando la existencia de diferencias entre los distintos tipos de turistas; por ello, se realizó una segmentación en base a la motivación cultural y a la percepción emocional de los visitantes, realizando un análisis de diferencias estadísticas sobre los criterios seleccionados. Los hallazgos revelan la existencia de tres tipos de turistas: turista alternativo, turista cultural y turista patrimonial, se obtuvo un mayor impacto económico entre los turistas que presentan motivaciones de tipo cultural. Por su parte, el turista patrimonial se caracteriza por proceder de lugares con influencia Andalusí (Portugal y la mayor parte del territorio español). Así, la investigación concluye que, para un grupo importante de turistas, la visita a Granada está ligada a su propia herencia cultural, existiendo una identidad común: Identidad cultural Andalusí. Los resultados contribuyen a identificar las características de los distintos segmentos de visitantes facilitando el diseño de productos turísticos y culturales adecuados a las necesidades de cada tipología de turista.The various reasons why an individual makes the decision to travel or tourism trigger the need to know and deepen the characteristics of the different types of tourists, with a preponderance in countries and cities whose economy is boosted thanks to tourism. From this perspective, this research aimed to identify tourists in cities with World Heritage inscriptions, specifically focused on the city of Granada (Spain). Likewise, the characteristics of the trip are investigated, studying the existence of differences between the different types of tourists; Therefore, a segmentation was carried out based on the cultural motivation and the emotional perception of the visitors, carrying out an analysis of statistical differences on the selected criteria. The findings reveal the existence of three types of tourists: alternative tourist, cultural tourist and heritage tourist, a greater economic impact was obtained among tourists with cultural motivations. For its part, the heritage tourist is characterized by coming from places with Andalusian influence (Portugal and most of the Spanish territory). Thus, the research concludes that, for an important group of tourists, the visit to Granada is linked to their own cultural heritage, with a common identity: Andalusian cultural identity. The results contribute to identifying the characteristics of the different visitor segments, facilitating the design of tourist and cultural products appropriate to the needs of each type of tourist

Motivations associated with local gastronomy in a tourist destination. Case study of the city of Córdoba

En los últimos tiempos se está produciendo un giro en el comportamiento de la demanda turística, entendiendo ésta como el resultado de la toma de decisiones que las personas a la hora de planificar sus actividades de ocio y disfrute. El turismo ha evolucionado desde la clásica contemplación de los lugares físicos hacia actividades más experienciales y profundas, donde es posible descubrir, participar y aprender del lugar. El turista cultural, desea profundizar en el conocimiento del conjunto de elementos físicos y actividades que conforman el lugar de destino. De este modo, la degustación de ingredientes y platos locales se traduce en una forma única de acercarse al patrimonio local del lugar que visitan. En consecuencia, a través de la práctica culinaria es posible comprender la cultura de un lugar de una forma cercana y participativa, alejada de la simple visión contemplativa que, históricamente, ha caracterizado al turismo cultural. En resumen, el estudio científico que aborda el análisis del turismo gastronómico está estrechamente relacionado con la intención de comprender el proceso de toma de decisiones por el que los turistas eligen destinos con una reconocida gastronomía local. Por ello, el presente trabajo pretende identificar las motivaciones por las cuales los turistas de la ciudad de Córdoba deciden visitar dicho destino, el cual posee un gran patrimonio cultural (no solo monumental sino también culinario).In recent times there has been a shift in the behavior of tourist demand, understanding this as the result of the decision-making that people make when planning their leisure and enjoyment activities. Tourism has evolved from the classic contemplation of physical places towards more experiential and profound activities, where it is possible to discover, participate and learn from the place. The cultural tourist, wishes to deepen the knowledge of the set of physical elements and activities that make up the destination. In this way, the tasting of local ingredients and dishes is translated into a unique way of getting closer to the local heritage of the place they visit. Consequently, through culinary practice it is possible to understand the culture of a place in a close and participatory way, away from the simple contemplative vision that, historically, has characterized cultural tourism. In summary, the scientific study that addresses the analysis of gastronomic tourism is closely related to the intention of understanding the decision-making process by which tourists choose destinations with a recognized local gastronomy. For this reason, this work aims to identify the motivations why tourists from the city of Córdoba decide to visit this destination, which has a great cultural heritage (not only monumental but also culinary)

Myeloid p38 activation maintains macrophage-liver crosstalk and BAT thermogenesis through IL-12-FGF21 axis.

Obesity features excessive fat accumulation in several body tissues and induces a state of chronic low-grade inflammation that contributes to the development of diabetes, steatosis, and insulin resistance. Recent research has shown that this chronic inflammation is crucially dependent on p38 pathway activity in macrophages, suggesting p38 inhibition as a possible treatment for obesity comorbidities. Nevertheless, we report here that lack of p38 activation in myeloid cells worsens high-fat diet-induced obesity, diabetes, and steatosis. Deficient p38 activation increases macrophage IL-12 production, leading to inhibition of hepatic FGF21 and reduction of thermogenesis in the brown fat. The implication of FGF21 in the phenotype was confirmed by its specific deletion in hepatocytes. We also found that IL-12 correlates with liver damage in human biopsies, indicating the translational potential of our results. Our findings suggest that myeloid p38 has a dual role in inflammation and that drugs targeting IL-12 might improve the homeostatic regulation of energy balance in response to metabolic stress.S

Autocrine IGF2 programmes β-cell plasticity under conditions of increased metabolic demand

Abstract: When exposed to nutrient excess and insulin resistance, pancreatic β-cells undergo adaptive changes in order to maintain glucose homeostasis. The role that growth control genes, highly expressed in early pancreas development, might exert in programming β-cell plasticity in later life is a poorly studied area. The imprinted Igf2 (insulin-like growth factor 2) gene is highly transcribed during early life and has been identified in recent genome-wide association studies as a type 2 diabetes susceptibility gene in humans. Hence, here we investigate the long-term phenotypic metabolic consequences of conditional Igf2 deletion in pancreatic β-cells (Igf2βKO) in mice. We show that autocrine actions of IGF2 are not critical for β-cell development, or for the early post-natal wave of β-cell remodelling. Additionally, adult Igf2βKO mice maintain glucose homeostasis when fed a chow diet. However, pregnant Igf2βKO females become hyperglycemic and hyperinsulinemic, and their conceptuses exhibit hyperinsulinemia and placentomegalia. Insulin resistance induced by congenital leptin deficiency also renders Igf2βKO females more hyperglycaemic compared to leptin-deficient controls. Upon high-fat diet feeding, Igf2βKO females are less susceptible to develop insulin resistance. Based on these findings, we conclude that in female mice, autocrine actions of β-cell IGF2 during early development determine their adaptive capacity in adult life

Autocrine IGF2 programmes β-cell plasticity under conditions of increased metabolic demand

Abstract: When exposed to nutrient excess and insulin resistance, pancreatic β-cells undergo adaptive changes in order to maintain glucose homeostasis. The role that growth control genes, highly expressed in early pancreas development, might exert in programming β-cell plasticity in later life is a poorly studied area. The imprinted Igf2 (insulin-like growth factor 2) gene is highly transcribed during early life and has been identified in recent genome-wide association studies as a type 2 diabetes susceptibility gene in humans. Hence, here we investigate the long-term phenotypic metabolic consequences of conditional Igf2 deletion in pancreatic β-cells (Igf2βKO) in mice. We show that autocrine actions of IGF2 are not critical for β-cell development, or for the early post-natal wave of β-cell remodelling. Additionally, adult Igf2βKO mice maintain glucose homeostasis when fed a chow diet. However, pregnant Igf2βKO females become hyperglycemic and hyperinsulinemic, and their conceptuses exhibit hyperinsulinemia and placentomegalia. Insulin resistance induced by congenital leptin deficiency also renders Igf2βKO females more hyperglycaemic compared to leptin-deficient controls. Upon high-fat diet feeding, Igf2βKO females are less susceptible to develop insulin resistance. Based on these findings, we conclude that in female mice, autocrine actions of β-cell IGF2 during early development determine their adaptive capacity in adult life

Increased Dihydroceramide/ceramide ratio mediated by defective expression of degs1 impairs adipocyte differentiation and function.

Adipose tissue dysfunction is an important determinant of obesity-associated, lipid-induced metabolic complications. Ceramides are well-known mediators of lipidinduced insulin resistance in peripheral organs such as muscle. DEGS1 is the desaturase catalyzing the last step in the main ceramide biosynthetic pathway. Functional suppression of DEGS1 activity results in substantial changes in ceramide species likely to affect fundamental biological functions such as oxidative stress, cell survival, and proliferation. Here, we show that degs1 expression is specifically decreased in the adipose tissue of obese patients and murine models of genetic and nutritional obesity. Moreover, loss-of-function experiments using pharmacological or genetic ablation of DEGS1 in preadipocytes prevented adipogenesis and decreased lipid accumulation. This was associated with elevated oxidative stress, cellular death, and blockage of the cell cycle. These effects were coupled with increased dihydroceramide content. Finally, we validated in vivo that pharmacological inhibition of DEGS1 impairs adipocyte differentiation. These data identify DEGS1 as a new potential target to restore adipose tissue function and prevent obesity-associated metabolic disturbance