Impact of Information Sources on Promoting Tourism in a Rural Region: The Case of the Roman Villa of Noheda

Abstract

This paper presents a comparative analysis of the tools provided by the internet (social networks, websites, etc.) and traditional media (television, newspapers, word of mouth, etc.) in terms of their impact on the promotion of a tourism resource in a rural area: the Roman villa of Noheda (Cuenca). Both of the aforementioned sources of information play a relevant role in promoting such archaeological destinations and influencing tourists’ decision-making when planning their visit. The literature suggests that social networks as well as other electronic channels can attract large numbers of tourists; however, this has not happened in the case of the archaeological site under study. It has become known through coverage in more traditional media such as television and the national and international press. Knowledge of the use of internet tools to promote these heritage sites is still very limited; thus, this study collected information through a questionnaire on the different sources of information (traditional and online) that tourists used when deciding to visit this site. An ANOVA analysis has been used to determine the relationship between the different sources of information and the place of residence and between said information sources and the overnight stays near Noheda. The results point to strategies that can be developed to promote these cultural resources in order to achieve the economic development of rural regions such as the Alcarria of Cuenca.

1. Introduction

In recent years, the tourism industry has undergone major changes due to economic, social, and cultural factors [1]. In the case of Spain, as in many other countries, domestic tourists have also changed the way they seek out new forms of weekend leisure that is far from the big cities but close to where they live [2]. For example, rural tourism and cultural tourism offer an alternative to the sun-and-sand destination model, which could positively affect the regional and sustainable development of many towns and municipalities in unpopulated areas [3]. This has benefited rural areas, where rural tourism is becoming more valued and can represent new opportunities for economic development. Thus, areas that have numerous tourism resources can achieve economic development through the positive effects that tourism can provide [1]. The development of this type of tourism can be a beneficial activity in three ways: (1) by responding to the demands of a progressive tourist clientele, (2) by safeguarding cultural and natural heritage that is in danger of disappearing, and (3) by creating employment other than in agriculture thus, preventing the abandonment of rural areas for urban ones [2].

In this respect, cultural heritage is one of the resources that can be harnessed for the development of many rural areas. It is thus worth attempting to promote cultural tourism, with a focus on archaeological heritage, as an asset that generates wealth in a region and thus contributes to the socio-economic development of the area. Additionally, this type of cultural tourism positively influences historical and artistic sites, helping to protect the cultural heritage and enhance the sustainable development of many regions [3]. This approach has already been effectively applied in other places, such as China [4]. Furthermore, it has helped to reverse migration due to demographic changes [5]. In order to properly develop cultural tourism, the existence of historical and artistic elements is necessary [6]. These elements can be valued for their educational and cultural benefits and can even serve as sources of identity, reflecting local or ethnic characteristics, as well as providing economic benefits for communities [7]. If these cultural elements are used appropriately, they play a fundamental role in the development of tourism in an area [8] since the economic contribution they make is key to achieving the sustainable development of this sector [9]. Studies such as that by [4] show how cultural and archaeological elements have helped improve the tourist experience, with cultural attractions becoming a development opportunity for many tourist destinations [10], especially in developing regions [11]. Therefore, this type of cultural tourism is considered an important growing market since it tends to involve high-end tourists, providing economic support to the local culture. As such, it has become a primary objective for tourism policy makers [12].

Thus, the obvious starting point is to have assets or elements that offer high potential for attracting visitors [13]. However, even when a location has the necessary potential, there is sometimes a failure to effectively promote these tourism resources. The appropriate promotion of these assets could represent an economic benefit in the area where they are located, such as in rural areas.

Moreover, in terms of promotion, professionals in the tourism sector have to position their products and services in such a way that they can offer their potential clients positive experiences [14]. In recent years, tourism promotion has entered a new phase that is centred on the internet [15]. This form of strategic communication relies on management tools based on information and communication technologies (ICT), such as websites. If these communication tools are used well, they facilitate an effective dialogue between all those involved in heritage management, tourism development, and users or visitors [16]. In the case of rural destinations, which tend to lack economic resources, they use social networks as a profitable means of promotion [17].

On the other side are the consumers, who increasingly use internet tools (for example, social networks, blogs, etc.) to convey their opinions about the products and services they consume. In addition, they usually use these tools to search for information before making the trip, which is significantly changing the relationship between customers and retailers [18]. Due to their social impact, they are becoming very powerful instruments to disseminate images and information about tourist destinations [19]. It is a way for people to share their knowledge [20], interact with each other, give their opinions, and evaluate the service provided [21,22]. For example, word of mouth (WOM) is considered by tourists to be a more reliable medium than other more traditional media (television, radio, print media) and is the one that has the greatest influence on consumer behaviour [23]. In its current online form, WOM communication is known as electronic word of mouth or eWOM [24]. It has generally been assumed that digital media are fundamentally different from traditional media in terms of both their design and the technology on which they operate [25]. However, tourism consumers not only use online channels (social media, search engines, travel portals, virtual communities, and websites) but also continue to use more established sources of information to find information for their next trips [26].

Taking into account all of the above, this research seeks to demonstrate how the promotion of an archaeological resource through traditional means such as WOM, newspapers, magazines, or television can in turn promote tourism in an rural area such as the Alcarria of Cuenca, an area that has suffered greatly from depopulation over the years. Moreover, it shows how these media have been used to publicize an archaeological site in not only national but also in international media. This region has the potential to become a tourist area, especially for cultural tourism, due to the many cultural resources it has, the foremost of which is undoubtedly the Roman villa of Noheda, which contains one of the most important mosaics of its kind in the world. Having the elements needed to activate tourism in the area can represent a potential engine of development, since heritage, in addition to representing an area’s cultural legacy, can form the basis for tourism-related economic benefits such as job creation.

To do so, it is necessary to harness the image of this archaeological resource to initially attract the visitor (tourist, politician, or investor) and then ensure that this first impression leads on to a second, longer stay, convincing visitors to return to the area as well as recommending it to family and friends. In this sense, the fact that the site is located 19 km from the city of Cuenca, which has been declared a World Heritage Site, may be an advantage. The objective is to motivate the visitor to actively collaborate—to a greater or lesser degree—in the promotion of Noheda, recommending the visit to family and friends through easily accessible and easily disseminated means of communication, such as social networks.

Thus, this study was proposed following the impact generated in national and international media when the scientific management of the site gave interviews to certain television programmes, newspapers, and journals. The town subsequently received an influx of tourists, raising the need to analyse which sources of information, whether traditional or online, may be the most appropriate for promoting the site and thus benefit a depopulated region such as the Alcarria of Cuenca. To do this, a few days after the site was opened to the public on 18th July 2019, a total of 400 surveys were collected from tourists over 18 years of age. The findings from that survey allowed us to draw some conclusions that point to ways to improve the future promotion of these archaeological resources.

2. Internet Tools and Traditional Media in Promoting a Tourism Resource

Tourism is a very significant factor for the economy, whether at national, regional, or local level. Thanks to the regular arrival of tourists, consumption is increased, driving the production of goods and services and creating jobs. This, together with the tourists’ use of infrastructure, accommodation, and so on, helps boost economic growth [27]. Furthermore, any type of tourism in rural areas where culture is used as a tourism resource can generate a cultural exchange between residents and visitors in such a way that it stimulates the conservation and recovery of local traditions [28]. This type of cultural tourism is an approach to local culture and offers an activity very different from mass tourism [3]. Due to its complexity, the concept of cultural tourism has given rise to numerous definitions and perspectives. Both [29,30] describe it as tourists who travel to places of cultural interest with the aim of satisfying their cultural and personal enrichment needs. However, other authors provide a much more exact concept and focus on the cultural services or products enjoyed by the tourist, without taking into account the motivation for the trip [13,31]. In recent years, to encourage the arrival of tourists, sector professionals have developed new ways of promoting tourism, especially based on the internet [15]. When the communication capabilities of these ICT-based tools are used well, they facilitate effective dialogue among tourism stakeholders [16]. However, the current panorama reflects the use of other technological tools such as social media, including blogs, professional networks, forums, social networks, etc., which contribute to tourism development. For example, tourism consumers currently view social media as the most reliable source of information about products and services [25]. In the case of Facebook, users around the world recognize that it is the social network most used by tourist destinations [19,32].

Blogs are another internet-based tool and have become one of the most relevant topics in research on social media in travel and tourism [33]. They are a key source of travel information [34,35]. Companies see the use of these tools as a new opportunity to access and maintain contact with the market, learn about the needs and opinions of their customers, and interact with them in a direct and personalized way [36]. According to [37], comments made on travel blogs represent new opportunities and challenges for tourism marketers. These blog-based communications are easy to update, have a flexible structure, and allow anonymous interactions between people [35].

Therefore, the advance of these internet-based channels in recent years means that consumers not only have access to the opinions of close friends, co-workers, and family but also to comments from strangers from all over the world about their visit to a destination or the use of a product [33]. The use of all of these technological tools provides many advantages, such as offering extensive, regularly updated, and publicly available information. However, this can sometimes be dangerous if people on social networks promote some tourist experiences in places that lack control, have limited access, or are risky [21]. Other authors argue that tourist destinations that use mobile applications as a tool have the advantage of differentiating themselves from other destinations since they can offer personalized services and products to their most important audiences [14]. All of these tools can serve as sources of information prior to making a trip.

It should be noted that the different sources of information continue to expand with ever-increasing access to communication media that suit different lifestyles (television series, travel television programmes, social networks, websites, etc.) [38]. This has prompted tourist destinations to establish a presence on all of them. However, the knowledge of the Spanish public surrounding archaeological resources and, in particular, that of archaeological sites, has been growing thanks to more traditional sources of information. The attractiveness of a tourist area is directly related to the dissemination of its heritage, a noteworthy characteristic of cultural tourism [39]. Indeed, some research suggests that the dissemination of archaeology improves both the environment and the development of the local community [4] and can be almost as relevant as narrative communication [40].

At present, there is an ever-growing number of different tourism options, meaning the promotion of heritage tourism can no longer focus exclusively on the offer: this type of tourism has to progress in line with the interests of consumers [41]. Thus, any tourist destination attempting to be competitive has to continually update all of the information that may be useful to the visitor. In this regard, the media can be seen as allies when it comes to promoting archaeological remains, providing the public with relevant information and bringing them closer to society.

Regarding more traditional sources of information, some studies on heritage destinations find that when used sources of commercial information, brochures are positively valued by respondents as a motivation for visiting the destination [42]. Conversely, the study carried out by [43] does not find strong support for the hypothesis that brochures influence the decision of tourists to travel. For these sources of information to have an influence on the decision to choose to visit a destination, they must incorporate a series of incentives and be convincing, attractive, and easy to remember [43].

Another relevant type of media is films and television series, which can succinctly present information about a certain place [44]. Film and television tourism is an emerging type of tourism and is an example of how popular entertainment can influence the audiences’ image of a destination, boosting visits to film and television shooting locations [45]. The study by [46] shows that mini-dramas or microfilms can raise awareness of a destination, representing a source of favourable information that helps potential visitors to remember the destination and influences their subsequent visit decision. The authors also pointed to this medium as a way for destinations to reposition their image. An example of the influence of film and television can be seen with an archaeological park in the province of Cuenca, specifically Segóbriga, where a Spanish series was filmed, leading to a large influx of visitors.

Journalism is also a relevant source of information, but it remains an underexplored area of study in relation to tourism [47]. Newspapers are now more accessible digitally, which facilitates the instantaneous dissemination of information; as such, they can affect the image of destinations [48]. Thus, the image generated by how a newspaper describes a destination is a very relevant factor [49] and can lend gravitas to the conveyed image [47]. In this vein, the press is used by archaeologists as a means to develop public interest in archaeology [50].

Travel agencies, another traditional source, have been considered in the literature as the main source of information in the selection of a destination [51,52]. However, the internet is a threat to these sources of information, as it allows customers to develop and buy their own itineraries [53]. Conversely, other authors argue that one of the benefits of travel agencies is their capacity to store a large amount of information, order it, and interpret it in order to offer the client the optimal travel experience [54]. Thus, the rise of the internet in recent years has forced traditional travel agencies to focus on increasing people’s attitudes towards travel, building and consolidating their reputation both online and offline, and innovating their products and services [55].

Finally, another traditional medium is WOM, referring to informal communication between users or consumers regarding the particularities, the ownership, and use of a service or product [56]. Positive WOM is a very credible source of information for potential tourists and is especially useful in the tourism industry, as it tends to be based on the opinions of previous tourists [57].

3. Materials and Methods

A questionnaire was developed in order to collect information from visitors to the Roman villa of Noheda regarding the information sources they had used to find out about the site. The questions that were included in the questionnaire were based on a review of the literature [35,51,58,59,60] and the specific characteristics of the study area. Before administering the questionnaire, it was revised by professional marketing and tourism researchers (professors from the University of Córdoba and the University of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain). Once the revision had been completed, a pilot survey was conducted with a sample of some 25 tourists to the site to make any final changes that were needed. The final questionnaire was implemented a few weeks after the opening of the site to the public on 18 July 2019, and a total of 400 surveys of tourists over 18 years of age were collected during six consecutive weekends in the months of August and September 2019. Thus, in this research, a convenience sampling was carried out due to the speed, ease of availability, and cost-effectiveness of obtaining the sample of tourists at the site. First, the compiled information was used to carry out a descriptive analysis revealing the sociodemographic characteristics of the who were tourists surveyed at the site, such as age, origin, gender, educational level, if they had spent the night near Noheda, etc. (

Table 1. Tourists’ age.

Age	Frequency	%
18–25 years	14	3.5
26–39 years	76	19
40–59 years	263	65.8
60 years or more	47	11.8
Total tourists	400	100

,

Table 2. Tourists’ educational level.

Level of Studies	Frequency	%
No studies	2	0.5
Primary studies	24	6.0
ESO	14	3.5
Baccalaureate/FP	84	21.0
University	250	62.5
Doctorate	22	5.5
Others	4	1.0
Total tourists	400	100

,

Table 3. The occupation of tourists.

Employment Situation	Frequency	%
Student	11	2.8
Unemployed	16	4.0
Domestic work	11	2.8
Civil servant	76	19.0
Self employed	45	11.3
Employed worker	128	32.0
Worker with degree	59	14.8
Company manager	24	6.0
Retired	25	6.3
Others	5	1.3
Total tourists	400	100

,

Table 4. Tourists’ income level.

Income	Frequency	%
€0–15,000	63	15.8
€15,000–30,000	113	28.3
€30,000–45,000	100	25.0
€45,000–60,000	82	20.5
More than €60,000	42	10.5
Total tourists	400	100

,

Table 5. Tourists’ place of origin.

Place of Origin	Frequency	%
Extremadura	13	3.3
Andalucía	12	3.0
Aragón	3	0.8
Asturias	4	1.0
Cantabria	0	0
Castilla-La Mancha	60	15.0
Castilla y León	17	4.3
Cataluña	3	0.8
C. Valenciana	49	12.3
Galicia	5	1.3
La Rioja	2	0.5
C. Madrid	205	51.3
Region of Murcia	13	3.3
País Vasco	6	1.5
Other country	8	2.0
Total tourists	400	100

and

Table 6. Type of visit.

Type of Visit	Frequency	%
Individual	21	5.3
In a group	42	10.5
In couple	102	25.5
With friends	96	24.0
With family and children	138	34.5
Organized tour	1	0.3
Total tourists	400	100

). On the other hand, a first exploratory analysis has allowed us to verify the distributions of the sample sociodemographic variables. The mean values were calculated for the different sources of information used by tourists to find out about the site. To that end, a total of 32 items were analysed, of which 19 were questions about traditional sources of information and 13 were about online sources (

Table 7. Assessment of traditional information sources.

Acronym	Items	Averages	Min.	Max.	Standard Deviation
TS1	Written press (newspapers)	2.00	1	5	1.45
TS2	Travel agencies or tour operators	1.16	1	5	0.639
TS3	Public figures and people on popular shows	1.28	1	5	0.846
TS4	Scientific articles on Noheda	1.41	1	5	0.974
TS5	Tourist brochures	1.98	1	5	1.345
TS6	Tourist association information CEDER ALCARRIA	1.68	1	5	1.269
TS7	Educational centres (schools, universities, training centres)	1.61	1	5	1.23
TS8	Nearby accommodations, complementary offer	1.58	1	5	1.2
TS9	Media specialized in tourism	1.55	1	5	1.123
TS10	Media specialized in archaeological heritage	1.50	1	5	1.055
TS11	Books	1.72	1	5	1.275
TS12	Travel guides	1.59	1	5	1.18
TS13	Fairs (e.g., FITUR)	1.17	1	5	0.586
TS14	TV series and movies	1.35	1	5	0.885
TS15	Radio	1.33	1	5	0.861
TS16	Internet	3.63	1	5	1.657
TS17	Friends and family	3.18	1	5	1.755
TS18	Residents of nearby towns	1.84	1	5	1.447
TS19	TV news	2.13	1	5	1.571

and

Table 8. Assessment of online information sources.

Acronym	Items	Averages	Min.	Max.	Standard Deviation
ONS1	Official website of the site cultura.castillalamancha.es/patrimonio/yacimientos-visitables/villa-Romana-de-noheda	2.83	1	5	1.846
ONS2	Website www.traveler.es	1.51	1	5	1.17
ONS3	Social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.)	1.36	1	5	0.974
ONS4	Wikipedia	1.36	1	5	0.947
ONS5	Website www.tripadvisor.es	1.60	1	5	1.259
ONS6	Website of tourism companies in Cuenca publicizing it	1.39	1	5	1.007
ONS7	Website Provincial Deputation of Cuenca, www.dipucuenca.es	1.52	1	5	1.15
ONS8	Website of the Community Board of Castilla-La Mancha www.patrimoniohistoricoclm.es	1.60	1	5	1.227
ONS9	Official tourism website of Castilla-La Mancha www.turismocastillalamancha.es	1.67	1	5	1.311
ONS10	Internet browser (Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc.)	3.07	1	5	1.811
ONS11	Maps (Google Maps, viaMichelín, GuíaRepsol, etc.)	2.89	1	5	1.793
ONS12	Forums	1.64	1	5	1.310
ONS13	Video sharing apps (YouTube)	1.41	1	5	1.056

, respectively). The surveyed tourists had to answer on a 5-point Likert scale, where 1 = I did not use it at all/5 = It was one of my main sources of information. To validate the scales of these variables, an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed using the Varimax rotation method.

After validating the scales, a bivariate analysis was carried out to determine the correlation between the dependent variable and a series of independent variables. To that end, an analysis of variance (ANOVA) was carried out, yielding a level of significance used as a reference to accept or reject the null hypothesis (H₀) of independence between the variables. Thus, the null was accepted if the level of significance was greater than 0.05. On the contrary, if said level was less than 0.05, the null hypothesis was rejected, indicating a relationship of dependence between the variables, meaning the different levels of the factor in question influence the dependent variable. The analysis focused on the quantitative variables in the present study: the sources of information, the place of residence of the tourist, whether or not the tourist is a resident of the area, and whether he/she stayed overnight near Noheda.

The analyses in this research were carried out using SPSS Statistics 27.0.1. software.

3.1. Study Area

Rural Spain has been gradually emptying out, with rural populations migrating towards the cities of the province or further afield. This migration has been particularly intense in the most rural areas, which have not able to retain their populations. These areas, which are primarily dedicated to agriculture and livestock, have not been able to repopulate through new productive activities, such as tourism; this is despite the fact that many areas have great attractions that could be exploited.

Regarding the case under study, the Alcarria of Cuenca is in the far north-west of the province of Cuenca, Spain. The reasons for focusing on this territory include the fact that it is a stagnant, depressed region that needs a social and economic resurgence. In recent years, there has been intense depopulation caused by the lack of jobs, which has driven high rates of migration away from the area, leaving only the oldest population.

The 43 municipalities that make up the Alcarria of Cuenca (with populations of between 7 and 1748 inhabitants in 2020) [61] have a rich cultural heritage that can become a useful resource for promoting this area, but that currently remains under-exploited. In this context, it is worth trying to promote tourism in this area focused on archaeology as a resource that can generate wealth in the region, thereby contributing to the socio-economic development of the area.

Therefore, this study first presents the data on the depopulation that this region is suffering: according to the latest data, the region has lost almost 4000 inhabitants over the last 22 years (Figure 1) [61]. It then makes the case for exploiting the tourism resources in the region; specifically, the Roman villa of Noheda, which has generated a national and international impact due to the fact it is home to one of the most important mosaics in the world.

3.2. An Opportunity for the Development of a Rural Region: The Case Study of the Roman Villa de Noheda

The Roman villa of Noheda is the most important tourism resources in the Alcarria of Cuenca. The site is located in the central part of the Iberian Peninsula, just over an hour and a half away from Madrid and 19 km north of the city of Cuenca. It is located just 500 m. north-west of the town from which it takes its name, which is in the municipality of Villar de Domingo García.

The archaeological complex was declared a Site of Cultural Interest in 2012, mainly because of the exceptional figurative mosaics discovered in it, for which it is widely known [62]. The preserved mosaics cover 231.62 m² (Figure 2) and, together with other rooms in the villa, are covered by a recently constructed building (Figure 3).

The Noheda mosaic is extremely interesting for a number of reasons, such as the unusual combination of mythological and theatrical themes (Figure 4), which underlines its originality. There is a clear narrative style to each individual scene as well as to the reading of them as a whole, which allows the viewer to follow the sequence of different episodes of a myth or an allegory and the transversal content uniting them. This makes it unique among preserved mosaics around the world.

4. Results

Although extensive scientific research has been carried out on archaeological sites such as Noheda, there are relatively few studies that address the information sources used by visitors to research this type of destination, both in terms of when they decide to travel to an archaeological site and when they promote it, for example, by recommending it to family and friends. It should be added that this Roman villa started to become known thanks to the results of different excavations and their dissemination by the scientific management of the site. For example, they gave interviews to different national and international communications media (Figure 5) where they explained the wonder of these Roman mosaics. This was the first time that people became aware of the site, as one of its drawbacks is its location: a small town in the Alcarria of Cuenca, within what is known as “empty Spain”.

Due to the impact it caused nationally and internationally in the media (mainly in newspapers and television reports), the site began to receive a large influx of visitors after its opening on 18 July 2019. This prompted the idea of using a questionnaire to collect information about the information sources through which visitors learned of the existence of this tourism resource, and which ones played the biggest role in their decision to travel to this archaeological site. The results could help indicate the most suitable method to promote this type of tourism resource. To do this, the results obtained from the data of the 400 surveyed tourists are presented below. The first question in the survey was: Have you come specifically to visit the Roman villa of Noheda? The respondent was asked this question to see if he/she was interested in visiting other resources in this rural region or only the Roman village of Noheda. Of the 400 respondents, 329 (82.3%) answered that they had come specifically to visit the mosaics.

The second question was aimed at capturing the respondents’ sociodemographic characteristics, such as age, gender, educational level, occupation, income level, and origin. The results of the frequency analysis reveal the profile of the tourist who visits these types of resources. Regarding gender, there is a very similar percentage of women (56.5%) and men (43.5%). Regarding the age of the visitors (Table 1), it can be seen that the most largest category is that of tourists who are 40–59 years old, accounting for 65.8% of the total sample, while the smallest category is the youngest age group, 18–25 years old, representing 3.5% of the total.

In terms of the education level of the surveyed visitors, those with higher education make up more than half of the sample: 62.5% of tourists have university studies, and 22% hold a doctorate. Tourists who do not have any type of studies represent only 0.5%. This confirms that the majority of visitors have higher-level studies (Table 2).

Regarding the occupations of the visitors (Table 3), employed workers represent the largest share (32%), which is followed by public servants (19%).

Of the total surveyed, 28.3% reported having an annual gross income in the range EUR 15,000–30,000 followed by 25% who earn EUR 30,000–45,000 per year (Table 4).

Regarding the analysis of the tourists’ place of origin (Table 5), the most frequent origin was found to be the Community of Madrid (51.3%) followed by Castilla-La Mancha (15%) and the Valencian Community (12.3%). Two findings on the origins of the tourists are worth highlighting: on the one hand, those from Castilla-La Mancha, including visitors from neighbouring towns, and on the other, the low percentage of foreign visitors, which represent only 2% of the total sample. Respondents were first asked if they lived in the area and 93.8% answered no. On the other hand, regarding whether or not the tourists stayed overnight near this site, more than half of the tourists (69%) did not stay overnight when they visited it. This is a very significant adverse finding for the economy of the area where Noheda is located and may be due to the proximity to the site to other provinces and autonomous communities.

In conclusion, the profile of the typical tourist who visits this site is a middle-aged person, probably a woman, aged between 40 and 59 years old, who works for someone else, has a fairly high income, and is university educated.

Regarding the type of visit in terms of the composition of the visiting group (Table 6), the most notable categories are visits with family and children (34.5%), with a partner (25.5%), or with friends (24%). Together with the figures for group visits (10.5% of the total sample), it is clear that visits to the site usually involve a group of at least two people. It is worth noting that, according to the data collected, organized group tours to the site were not on offer at that time, as this category represents just 0.2% of the total sample.

Subsequently, the third and fourth questions of the questionnaire were formulated to identify the different sources of information, traditional and online, that were the most used by the visitors to obtain information about Noheda (Table 7 and Table 8). The choice of the 19 items relating to the different traditional information sources (Table 7) was based on the research by [51,58,59]. Traditional sources that offered information about the Roman villa were also reviewed. Thus, the third question of the questionnaire was formulated as follows: “Indicate on a scale of 1 to 5 to what extent you have used the following traditional sources of information to obtain information about the Roman villa of Noheda (the minimum score is 1 = I did not use it at all/the maximum score is 5 = it was one of my main sources of information)”. From this information, the means of the different sources of information that the tourists used to obtain information about Noheda were calculated.

The results obtained in the means analysis revealed that the traditional sources most used by tourists were the internet (TS16) and comments from friends and family (TS17), with mean values of 3.63 and 3.18 out of 5, respectively. These values are very high compared to other sources of information, such as television news (2.13) and newspapers (2.0).

The choice of the 13 items representing different online information sources (Table 8) was based on research such as that of [35,59,60]. In this way, the fourth question of the questionnaire was formulated, which also took into account the online sources where information about the Roman villa appeared: “Indicate on a scale of 1 to 5 to what extent you have used the following online information sources to obtain information about the Roman Villa of Noheda (the minimum score is 1 = I did not use it at all/the maximum score is 5 = it was one of my main sources of information)”. The results obtained in the means analysis confirmed that the highest mean values were for the site’s website (ONS1), with 2.83 points; internet search engines such as Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc. (ONS10), with 3.07; and online maps, such as Google Maps, viaMichelín, GuíaRepsol, etc. (ONS11) 2.89.

To validate the scales of these variables, the sources of information, an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed using the Varimax rotation method. The results of the Kaiser–Meyner–Olkin (KMO) statistics [63] and Cronbach’s alpha show values greater than 0.7 [64], therefore validating the scales (

Table 9. Factors to measure information sources and individual items.

Factors	Item	Loadings	Variance %	Cronbach’s Alpha	KMO2	Sig.
Traditional Information Sources	TS1	0.271	49.08	0.814	0.868	0.00
	TS2	0.631
	TS3	0.360
	TS4	0.464
	TS5	0.570
	TS6	0.554
	TS7	0.433
	TS8	0.578
	TS9	0.463
	TS10	0.507
	TS11	0.677
	TS12	0.414
	TS13	0.571
	TS14	0.461
	TS15	0.459
	TS16	0.503
	TS17	0.470
	TS18	0.645
	TS19	0.296
Online Information Sources	ONS1	0.364	55.562	0.813	0.848	0.00
	ONS2	0.522
	ONS3	0.525
	ONS4	0.606
	ONS5	0.673
	ONS6	0.489
	ONS7	0.478
	ONS8	0.550
	ONS9	0.540
	ONS10	0.677
	ONS11	0.669
	ONS12	0.700
	ONS13	0.430

).

Regarding the results obtained from the ANOVA analysis, it can be observed that according to the origin or place of residence of the tourist, the mean values shown by the different sources of information are lower, in some cases, than 0.05 (for a level of significance of 95%); that is, they are significantly different. For example, with respect to traditional information sources (

Table 10. ANOVA analysis of traditional information sources—the place of residence.

Acronym		Sum of Squares	gl	Quadratic Mean	F	Sig.
TS1	Inter-groups	1.568	1	1.568	0.738	0.391
	Intra-groups	845.429	398	2.124
	Total	846.998	399
TS2	Inter-groups	0.182	1	0.182	0.443	0.506
	Intra-groups	162.896	398	0.409
	Total	163.078	399
TS3	Inter-groups	0.417	1	0.417	0.581	0.446
	Intra-groups	285.333	398	0.717
	Total	285.750	399
TS4	Inter-groups	0.067	1	0.067	0.070	0.791
	Intra-groups	378.693	398	0.951
	Total	378.760	399
TS5	Inter-groups	0.113	1	0.113	0.062	0.803
	Intra-groups	721.637	398	1.813
	Total	721.750	399
TS6	Inter-groups	5.104	1	5.104	3.186	0.075
	Intra-groups	637.573	398	1.602
	Total	642.677	399
TS7	Inter-groups	0.988	1	0.988	0.653	0.420
	Intra-groups	602.389	398	1.514
	Total	603.377	399
TS8	Inter-groups	0.017	1	0.017	0.011	0.915
	Intra-groups	577.733	398	1.452
	Total	577.750	399
TS9	Inter-groups	0.024	1	0.024	0.019	0.890
	Intra-groups	502.976	398	1.264
	Total	503.000	399
TS10	Inter-groups	0.561	1	0.561	0.503	0.479
	Intra-groups	443.429	398	1.114
	Total	443.990	399
TS11	Inter-groups	0.043	1	0.043	0.026	0.872
	Intra-groups	648.597	398	1.630
	Total	648.640	399
TS12	Inter-groups	0.294	1	0.294	0.211	0.646
	Intra-groups	554.816	398	1.394
	Total	555.110	399
TS13	Inter-groups	2.646	1	2.646	7.832	0.005
	Intra-groups	134.464	398	0.338
	Total	137.110	399
TS14	Inter-groups	1.233	1	1.233	1.577	0.210
	Intra-groups	311.157	398	0.782
	Total	312.390	399
TS15	Inter-groups	0.338	1	0.338	0.454	0.501
	Intra-groups	295.760	398	0.743
	Total	296.098	399
TS16	Inter-groups	8.067	1	8.067	2.953	0.086
	Intra-groups	1087.173	398	2.732
	Total	1095.240	399
TS17	Inter-groups	10.168	1	10.168	3.322	0.069
	Intra-groups	1218.229	398	3.061
	Total	1228.398	399
TS18	Inter-groups	10.838	1	10.838	5.233	0.023
	Intra-groups	824.240	398	2.071
	Total	835.077	399
TS19	Inter-groups	0.323	1	0.323	0.130	0.718
	Intra-groups	984.917	398	2.475
	Total	985.240	399

), if the visitor resided in the area, the usefulness levels of the information sources are different for Fairs (e.g., FITUR) (TS13) and the residents of nearby towns (TS18). To refine this analysis, the Chi-square test (bilateral asymptotic significance) was also performed to corroborate whether the differences in the mean scores from these traditional sources are significant. These results confirmed the significance of the differences; however, this test added two more sources that the ANOVA analysis had not identified: tourist association information CEDER ALCARRIA (TS6) and the Internet (TS16), with significance levels of 0.028 and 0.017, respectively.

Therefore, due to these obtained differences, the null hypothesis (H₀) regarding the relationship between these four traditional sources of information and the place of residence is rejected.

Likewise, an ANOVA analysis of online information sources and tourists residing in the area where the site is located was carried out. The results (

Table 11. ANOVA analysis of online information sources—the place of residence.

Acronym		Sum of Squares	gl	Quadratic Mean	F	Sig.
ONS1	Inter-groups	5.766	1	5.766	1.695	0.194
	Intra-groups	1353.984	398	3.402
	Total	1359.750	399
ONS2	Inter-groups	0.338	1	0.338	0.246	0.620
	Intra-groups	545.600	398	1.371
	Total	545.937	399
ONS3	Inter-groups	4.214	1	4.214	4.481	0.035
	Intra-groups	374.224	398	0.940
	Total	378.438	399
ONS4	Inter-groups	1.040	1	1.040	1.160	0.282
	Intra-groups	356.837	398	0.897
	Total	357.878	399
ONS5	Inter-groups	4.161	1	4.161	2.636	0.105
	Intra-groups	628.229	398	1.578
	Total	632.390	399
ONS6	Inter-groups	0.020	1	0.020	0.020	0.888
	Intra-groups	404.917	398	1.017
	Total	404.938	399
ONS7	Inter-groups	15.606	1	15.606	12.124	0.001
	Intra-groups	512.304	398	1.287
	Total	527.910	399
ONS8	Inter-groups	0.054	1	0.054	0.036	0.850
	Intra-groups	600.336	398	1.508
	Total	600.390	399
ONS9	Inter-groups	0.434	1	0.434	0.252	0.616
	Intra-groups	685.664	398	1.723
	Total	686.097	399
ONS10	Inter-groups	13.348	1	13.348	4.100	0.044
	Intra-groups	1295.829	398	3.256
	Total	1309.177	399
ONS11	Inter-groups	8.740	1	8.740	2.731	0.099
	Intra-groups	1273.637	398	3.200
	Total	1282.378	399
ONS12	Inter-groups	0.368	1	0.368	0.214	0.644
	Intra-groups	684.069	398	1.719
	Total	684.437	399
ONS13	Inter-groups	0.434	1	0.434	0.388	0.533
	Intra-groups	444.144	398	1.116
	Total	444.578	399

) indicate that only two information sources registered significance levels below 0.05: the Website Provincial Deputation of Cuenca (ONS7) and Internet browsers (ONS10). The results from the Chi-square test corroborate only the first source (ONS7), since for Internet browsers (ONS10), the significance level of residents from nearby towns is slightly over 0.05 (sig. 0.054). Therefore, it can be concluded that only the Website Provincial Deputation of Cuenca (ONS7) has a relationship of dependence with the place of residence; therefore H₀ is rejected.

On the other hand, regarding the relationship between traditional sources of information and whether the tourist had spent the night in places near Noheda, the results of the ANOVA analysis (

Table 12. ANOVA analysis of traditional information sources-overnight stay near Noheda.

Acronym		Sum of Squares	gl	Quadratic Mean	F	Sig.
TS1	Inter-groups	0.257	1	0.257	0.121	0.728
	Intra-groups	846.740	398	2.127
	Total	846.997	399
TS2	Inter-groups	0.838	1	0.838	2.057	0.152
	Intra-groups	162.239	398	0.408
	Total	163.078	399
TS3	Inter-groups	0.098	1	0.098	0.137	0.712
	Intra-groups	285.652	398	0.718
	Total	285.750	399
TS4	Inter-groups	2.574	1	2.574	2.723	0.100
	Intra-groups	376.186	398	0.945
	Total	378.760	399
TS5	Inter-groups	2.258	1	2.258	1.249	0.264
	Intra-groups	719.492	398	1.808
	Total	721.750	399
TS6	Inter-groups	13.015	1	13.015	8.227	0.004
	Intra-groups	629.663	398	1.582
	Total	642.678	399
TS7	Inter-groups	1.500	1	1.500	0.992	0.320
	Intra-groups	601.877	398	1.512
	Total	603.378	399
TS8	Inter-groups	63.484	1	63.484	49.131	0.000
	Intra-groups	514.266	398	1.292
	Total	577.750	399
TS9	Inter-groups	0.449	1	0.449	0.356	0.551
	Intra-groups	502.551	398	1.263
	Total	503.000	399
TS10	Inter-groups	0.022	1	0.022	0.020	0.888
	Intra-groups	443.968	398	1.115
	Total	443.990	399
TS11	Inter-groups	3.906	1	3.906	2.411	0.121
	Intra-groups	644.734	398	1.620
	Total	648.640	399
TS12	Inter-groups	1.279	1	1.279	0.919	0.338
	Intra-groups	553.831	398	1.392
	Total	555.110	399
TS13	Inter-groups	0.348	1	0.348	1.014	0.315
	Intra-groups	136.762	398	0.344
	Total	137.110	399
TS14	Inter-groups	0.007	1	0.007	0.009	0.924
	Intra-groups	312.383	398	0.785
	Total	312.390	399
TS15	Inter-groups	0.340	1	0.340	0.457	0.499
	Intra-groups	295.758	398	0.743
	Total	296.097	399
TS16	Inter-groups	19.762	1	19.762	7.313	0.007
	Intra-groups	1075.478	398	2.702
	Total	1095.240	399
TS17	Inter-groups	9.836	1	9.836	3.213	0.074
	Intra-groups	1218.561	398	3.062
	Total	1228.398	399
TS18	Inter-groups	61.484	1	61.484	31.633	0.000
	Intra-groups	773.593	398	1.944
	Total	835.078	399
TS19	Inter-groups	0.097	1	0.097	0.039	0.843
	Intra-groups	985.143	398	2.475
	Total	985.240	399

) show a relationship of dependence between these variables, specifically with the sources of tourist association information CEDER ALCARRIA (TS6), nearby accommodations, complementary offers (TS8), Internet (TS16), and residents from nearby towns (TS18). However, the Chi-square test only confirms TS8 and TS18, since the TS6 and TS16 presented values of 0.055 and 0.098, respectively.

Therefore, the null hypothesis H₀ is rejected only for TS8 and TS18, since there are differences between these variables and the tourists who reported overnight stays in areas near Noheda. These results are relevant since the comments from the nearby accommodations and the residents of the area were used as sources of information, which means they could help to promote not only the site, but also encourage tourists to spend the night near Noheda.

Finally, the results of the ANOVA analysis for the relationship between online sources and whether the tourist had spent the night in the area (

Table 13. ANOVA analysis of online information sources—overnight stay near Noheda.

Acronym		Sum of Squares	gl	Quadratic Mean	F	Sig.
ONS1	Inter-groups	20.913	1	20.913	6.217	0.013
	Intra-groups	1338.837	398	3.364
	Total	1359.750	399
ONS2	Inter-groups	2.474	1	2.474	1.812	0.179
	Intra-groups	543.463	398	1.365
	Total	545.938	399
ONS3	Inter-groups	0.044	1	0.044	0.047	0.829
	Intra-groups	378.393	398	0.951
	Total	378.438	399
ONS4	Inter-groups	0.063	1	0.063	0.071	0.791
	Intra-groups	357.814	398	0.899
	Total	357.878	399
ONS5	Inter-groups	0.994	1	0.994	0.626	0.429
	Intra-groups	631.396	398	1.586
	Total	632.390	399
ONS6	Inter-groups	3.766	1	3.766	3.736	0.054
	Intra-groups	401.172	398	1.008
	Total	404.937	399
ONS7	Inter-groups	2.679	1	2.679	2.030	0.155
	Intra-groups	525.231	398	1.320
	Total	527.910	399
ONS8	Inter-groups	0.707	1	0.707	0.470	0.494
	Intra-groups	599.683	398	1.507
	Total	600.390	399
ONS9	Inter-groups	1.575	1	1.575	0.916	0.339
	Intra-groups	684.522	398	1.720
	Total	686.097	399
ONS10	Inter-groups	4.850	1	4.850	1.480	0.225
	Intra-groups	1304.328	398	3.277
	Total	1309.178	399
ONS11	Inter-groups	4.994	1	4.994	1.556	0.213
	Intra-groups	1277.384	398	3.210
	Total	1282.378	399
ONS12	Inter-groups	0.102	1	0.102	0.059	0.808
	Intra-groups	684.336	398	1.719
	Total	684.438	399
ONS13	Inter-groups	1.554	1	1.554	1.396	0.238
	Intra-groups	443.024	398	1.113
	Total	444.577	399

) show that of the thirteen total sources, only one, the official website of the site (cultura.castillalamancha. es/heritage/sites-can be visited/villa-Romana-de-noheda) (ONS1), turns out to be significant, with a significance level below 0.05 (H₀ is rejected). However, the Chi-square test does not confirm these results, as the values for this source of information (ONS1) are above 0.05 (sig. 0.67). These results may be negative at the local level, indicating that changes need to be made to the online promotion of the site to encourage tourists to stay overnight in nearby areas. This could be achieved by promoting all of the tourist resources in the area, as there are many in the Alcarria area, and they are close to the city of Cuenca, meaning that the tourist could enjoy a week, or at least a few days, in this region.

5. Discussion

The results of the statistical analysis reveal the sociodemographic profile of the tourist and which sources of information are the most used by visitors. Based on these findings, suggestions can be made for the promotion of such tourism resources; in this case, an archaeological site in one of the most unpopulated rural areas in Spain.

The frequency analysis of tourist characteristics allows us to conclude that the typical visitor is a middle-aged person, probably a woman, aged between 40 and 59 years old, with a university education, working for an employer, and earning a fairly high income. In terms of group composition, visits usually involved a family with children.

On the other hand, regarding the traditional sources of information most valued by tourists, the first was the internet followed by the comments of friends and family. This coincides with the classification proposed by [58] and Riera (2013), who also found that the internet was the most important source of information, ahead of friends and family. After these media, the next most valued resources were television news and the written press, both nationally and internationally. It should be noted that when speaking with tourists at the site itself, some commented that the first time they saw the site was on television or in newspapers, but that they later searched for information about it on the internet. Some of them said that it was entirely thanks to the recommendations of family and friends that they were encouraged to make the visit Consequently, managers of these destinations should consider these findings regarding the most commonly used sources of information for researching the site, as users increasingly turn to the internet for information in general or to post comments on social media.

Within the assessment of online sources, that is, sources in which the internet acts as a means of communication, the highest scores were found for the archaeological site’s website; search engines such as Google, Bing, or Yahoo!; and online map resources, such as Google Maps, ViaMichelín, or Guía Repsol. In conclusion, the obtained results were consistent with findings that had previously been reported in the literature and point to the sources of information that can be proposed as promotional tools for these types of tourist destinations.

Finally, bivariate analysis (ANOVA and Pearson’s Chi-square test) has been used to confirm the relationship of dependence between certain sources of information and residence and overnight stays in areas near Noheda. On the one hand, the sources that show a relationship of dependence with the place of residence are tourist association information CEDER ALCARRIA (TS6), fairs (e.g., FITUR) (TS13), the Internet (TS16), residents of nearby towns (TS18), and the Website Provincial Deputation of Cuenca (ONS7). These sources of information that are linked to the site suggest that WOM and eWOM as well as the role of residents in neighbouring towns may become a relevant means of promoting the site.

On the other hand, the sources that show a relationship of dependence with overnight stays near the site are nearby accommodations, complementary offers (TS8), and residents of nearby towns (TS18). Although these support the role of local residents and possible comments about the area (WOM), they highlight the lack of means to diffuse information about the Alcarria, which would encourage tourists to spend the night in the nearby areas. regarding this regard, one idea would be to suggest the joint promotion of all of the tourist resources in the area. There are many attractions in the Alcarria of Cuenca which would justify a stay in the area of at least four days.

6. Conclusions

Tourism resources in rural areas, such as the Roman villa of Noheda, are a great attraction for rural regions as unpopulated as the Alcarria of Cuenca, which is located in what is known as empty Spain.

Since the early days of its exploitation as a tourism resource, this site has represented a new employment opportunity for local inhabitants, creating jobs—a total of five, including three tour guides, a security guard, and a cleaner—in addition to giving a boost to the few existing services in the area, such as restaurants and shops. It may thus help reduce migration from rural to urban areas.

It has also helped institutions to implement new projects for the future development of this region, such as the enhancement of the site in order to receive tourists in the appropriate conditions for these types of sites (a building where the mosaics are). Likewise, a project is underway to build a new exhibition installation in the villa’s baths.

Regarding the conclusions drawn from this research, the literature review has made it possible to classify traditional and online sources of information based on an in-depth analysis of their influence on the formation and promotion of a tourist destination. This classification took into account the most important studies that have been published on the subject in recent years, which address the rise of the internet as a communication channel for the dissemination, promotion, and management of destinations.

Subsequently, data collection and analysis have shown that widely used sources of information are the internet followed by comments from family and friends (WOM). Therefore, the most recommended source to promote this tourist destination would be eWOM via, for example, social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or WhatsApp status), but in a controlled manner. It is important these online and easily accessible sources of information to take into account, as they are part of people’s daily lives. Users post photos of the trips they take or use them as profile photos, leave comments, recommend places, etc. Thus, all of these channels can serve as sources of information for future tourists. However, given the lack of analysis of the effectiveness of social media in the promotion and management of these types of archaeological destinations, we also recommend the positive WOM of the tourists who visit these sites as a marketing strategy and harnessing it as a source of promotion. This enables people to actively participate in the dissemination and management of heritage, placing residents at the centre of promotional methods. In this way, they can build bridges between the towns and territorial identities of this region and above all, generate benefits related to quality of life and the local economy. Likewise, the results of the ANOVA analysis highlighted the relevance of the role of residents in nearby towns, when they are used as sources of information since there were differences when the tourists were local residents or stayed overnight in places close to the site.

Finally, regarding the limitations of this research, the fieldwork was conducted in a short period of time. The intention was to collect information from the first influx of visitors to the site following the impact caused by the television news reports and stories in national and international newspapers. Due to this short response time, it was not possible to collect more data regarding other variables. Additional variables to study are currently being considered and are being proposed as future lines of research. One of them is the role of local residents in this archaeological site in terms of promoting the site and the region since they can become ambassadors for this rural area of the Alcarria of Cuenca.