Opera as personal heritage in tourism

The role of music in personal heritage development and its influence on tourism activity is an area that remains under-researched by leisure and tourism studies. The case of opera in this context is complex given the genre’s reputation as elitist and that its consumption is more widespread within certain regions of the world. This study evaluated the factors that stimulate the development of this type of personal musical heritage and its role in the Opera House tourist’s engagement with cultural provisions at the destinations they visit. To this end, written qualitative data was captured from 226 Opera House tourists. Findings indicated that family members, age, income, level of education, and origin play conditioning roles that position opera as an element of these tourists’ personal heritage. This heritage, in turn, may act as an instrumental gateway to experience specific destination attributes associated with the consumption of opera as a leisurely pursuit.